71% of online adults now use Facebook, making it the most widely used social network. Some 42% of online adults now use multiple social networking sites.
Attitudes about online dating have become more positive in recent years. Currently, one-in-ten Americans have used an online dating site or mobile dating app. However, many users also report negative experiences.
About half of internet users have posted their own or others’ photos or videos online. Cell phones and smartphones have given rise to photo- and video-sharing apps: 18% of cell owners use Instagram and 9% use Snapchat.
15% of American adults do not use the internet at all, and another 9% of adults use the internet but not at home. The main reasons they cite for not using the internet are relevance, usability, cost and access.
31% of American adult internet users have posted videos online, double the percentage in 2009. The share of online adults who watch or download videos has also grown, and mobile phones have become a key part of the video viewing and creating experience.
86% of adult internet users have taken steps to avoid online surveillance by other people or organizations. Despite precautions, 21% of online adults have had an email or social media account hijacked and 11% have had vital information stolen.
With 91% of all Americans now owning a cell phone, 57% of all American adults are cell internet users. The proportion of cell owners who use their phone to go online has doubled since 2009.
Teens often rely on themselves and the guidance they get from the websites they use to figure out how to manage their privacy online – but when they do seek advice, as 70% of them have at some point, they go primarily to peers and parents.
Today, 72% of online adults use social networking sites. Although younger adults continue to be the most likely social media users, one of the more striking stories about the social networking population has been the growth among older internet users in recent years.