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Despite the growing importance of social media, just 9% of digital news consumers say they “very often” follow news recommendations from Facebook or Twitter on any of the three main types of digital devices (computers, smartphones or tablets).
Perhaps no topic in technology attracted more attention in 2011 than the rise of social media and its potential impact on news. “If searching for news was the most important development of the last decade, sharing news may be among the most important of the next,” we wrote in a May 2011 report analyzing online news behavior called Navigating News Online.
Two numbers symbolize the intensifying challenge and opportunity the digital world poses for the news industry: In 2011, social media giant Facebook grew to 133 million active users from 117 million in the U.S.1 And in the final months of the year, tablet ownership in the U.S. nearly doubled, to 18% of Americans.
On blogs and Twitter, Facebook is a major and enduring topic. It has been among the top five most-discussed topics on at least one of those platforms in 39 different weeks between January 2009 and the end of January 2012.
With Facebook’s IPO filing, this special edition of the New Media Index examines the conversation about the company among bloggers and tweeters during the past three years.
Nearly a quarter of Egyptians (23%) say they have used social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter to obtain news about their country’s political situation.
Roughly two-thirds (67%) of social media users say that staying in touch with current friends and family members is a major reason they use these social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace or LinkedIn.
More than nine-in-ten teens (93%) who use social media have an account on Facebook, making it the dominant social media site in this age demographic.
The recently announced iPhone 4S triggered huge anticipation online last week, with many tech bloggers expecting an iPhone 5 instead. Changes to social networks Facebook and Google+ also fueled the online conversation. And the protests on Wall Street were among the top subjects on YouTube and Twitter.
In social media last week, it was new tech entrants versus familiar tech services—and both bloggers and Twitterers gave much better marks to the new entrants. The iPhone and Google+ received praise while changes to Facebook and Netflix were roundly criticized. And on YouTube, millions viewed a tragic crash at an air show.
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ABOUT PEW RESEARCH CENTER Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts.
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