Texting, Social Networking Popular Worldwide
Two kinds of digital communication that have grown increasingly popular in the United States — sending text messages and using social networking sites — are also popular around the world.
Why Americans Use Social Media
The top reason cited by adults for using social media is to maintain connections with family and friends. Social media users also say these platforms help connect them to old friends with whom they’ve lost touch.
Teens, Kindness and Cruelty on Social Network Sites
A comprehensive study finds that almost seven-in-ten American teens who use social networking sites say that people their age are mostly kind to one another on the sites; another 20% say that they are mostly unkind. Most teens say they have witnessed other people being mean or cruel to each other on the sites.
28% of U.S. Adults Use Mobile and Social Location-Based Services
Just over half of smartphone owners use their phones to get directions or recommendations based on their location; geosocial services and location-tagging features are less popular.
65% of Online Adults Use Social Networking Sites
Two-thirds of adult internet users (65%) now say they use a social networking site like MySpace, Facebook or LinkedIn. That’s more than double the percentage that reported social networking site usage in 2008.
Social Networking Sites and Our Lives
Close to half of all adults now use social networking sites (SNS) — double the number users in 2008 — and the average user is getting older. Are there benefits associated with being connected to others in this way? A new study finds SNS users more trusting, engaged and able to keep close social ties.
Twitter Update 2011
Currently, 13% of online adults use the status update service Twitter, up from 8% in November 2010. More than half of Twitter users access the service via their cell phones. African-American and Latino internet users continue to be significantly more likely than whites to be Twitter users.
The Internet and Campaign 2010
More than half of U.S. adults used the internet for political purposes in the last cycle, far surpassing the 2006 midterm contest. They hold mixed views about the impact of the internet: It enables extremism, while helping the like-minded find each other. It provides diverse sources, but makes it harder to find truthful sources.
Peer-to-Peer Health Care
About one-in-five internet users have gone online to find others who have health concerns similar to theirs. Those with chronic conditions are even more likely to reach out to peers for health information. Still, most turn to health professionals when in need of medical information.
Twitter and Social Networking in the 2010 Midterm Elections
More than one-in-five online Americans engaged with the 2010 midterm elections or campaign on Twitter or social networking sites; Republicans — especially Tea Party supporters — caught up with Democrats in social media use.
