Pew Research Report on Social Networking Shows Continued Growth

As many AW blog readers know, I am an advocate of using technology to promote the appraisal profession as well as our private appraisal practices.  In the 2011 edition of the Journal of Advanced Appraisal Studies Jane Brennom and I wrote an article on how appraisers can use and benefit from social media. The article was entitled Social Media for the Appraiser: A Multi-Channel Approach and was an overview of many social media platforms and channels which can prove beneficial to appraisers.  At the time of writing the article social media was growing tremendously, and now, according to a new Pew Research report, the trend continues with growth from an older demographic.

The Pew report states that 65% of adult internet users now use social networking sites, such as Facebook and LinkedIn.  This is up from 61% a year ago. The younger generation numbers remained relatively stable but high, and the growth came from the baby boomer segment of user ages between 50-64 and showed social networking site use up by an incredible 60%.

More and more people and target audiences for appraisers are using social networking sites.  If we as appraisers which to reach this important segment of the population, and a core demographic for appraisers, we as individuals and organizations need to emphasis and use social networking channels.

The Pew report states

Fully 65% of adult internet users now say they use a social networking site like MySpace, Facebook or LinkedIn, up from 61% one year ago. This marks the first time in Pew Internet surveys that 50% of all adults use social networking sites.

The frequency of social networking site usage among young adult internet users under age 30 was stable over the last year – 61% of online Americans in that age cohort now use social networking sites on a typical day, compared with 60% one year ago. However, among the Boomer-aged segment of internet users ages 50-64, social networking site usage on a typical day grew a significant 60% (from 20% to 32%).

“The graying of social networking sites continues, but the oldest users are still far less likely to be making regular use of these tools,” said Mary Madden, Senior Research Specialist and co-author of the report. “While seniors are testing the waters, many Baby Boomers are beginning to make a trip to the social media pool part of their daily routine.”

In a separate question, when social networking users were asked for one word to describe their experiences using social networking sites, “good” was the most common response. Overall, positive responses far outweighed the negative and neutral words that were associated with social networking sites (more than half of the respondents used positive terms). Users repeatedly described their experiences as “fun,” “great,” “interesting” and “convenient.” Less common were superlatives such as “astounding,” “necessity,” and “empowering.”

For more information on the Pew report, click HERE.