---
title: "Adults on Social Network Sites, 2005-2009"
description: "The percentage of adult internet users on social network sites from 2005-2009. From Amanda Lenhart's presentation, <a href=\"http://pewresearch.org/pewresearch-org/internet/Presentations/2009/41--The-Democratization-of-Online-Social-Networks.aspx\" title=\"The Democratization of Online Social Networks\">The Democratization of Online Social Networks</a>."
date: "2009-10-08"
authors:
  - name: "No Author"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2009/10/08/adults-on-social-network-sites-2005-2009/"
categories:
  - "Age & Generations"
  - "Social Media"
  - "Technology Adoption"
---

# Adults on Social Network Sites, 2005-2009

![](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/media/Infographics/Trend-Data/April-2009/NEW-Growth-in-Adult-SNS-Use-2005-2009-700px.jpg)

- 79% of American adults used the internet in 2009, up from 67% in Feb. 2005
- 46% of online American adults 18 and older use a social networking site like MySpace, Facebook or LinkedIn, up from 8% in February 2005.
- 65% of teens 12-17 use online social networks as of Feb 2008, up from 58% in 2007 and 55% in 2006.
- As of August 2009, Facebook was the most popular online social network for American adults 18 and older.

Of adult SNS users:

- 73% have a Facebook account
- 48% have a MySpace profile
- 14% have an account on LinkedIn
- 1% each on Yahoo, YouTube, Tagged, Flickr and Classmates.com
- 10-12% are on “other” sites like Bebo, Last.FM, Digg, Blackplanet, Orkut, Hi5 and Match.com

Read more in Amanda Lenhart's presentation, "[The Democratization of Online Social Networks: A look at the change in demographics of social network users over time](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2009/10/08/the-democratization-of-online-social-networks/)."