The impact and extent of social media is surely on the rise. More and more people are signing up on social networking sites and spending more time online as well. Two-thirds claiming to visit sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace, the social media traffic is up by about 230% from the 20% penetration in 2007, and 43% are visiting these sites more than once a day, according to a new report by Experian Simmons. Multiple visits are up 28% compared with last year, the Simmons New Media study determined.
The rise of social networking tracks closely with that of Facebook. As of April 26, 2010, 46% of the U.S. online adult population reported having visited Facebook in the past 30 days,” said the report. People primarily logon to stay in touch with friends, followed by for fun and to communicate with family, according to the study. Career- and job-related reasons were low on the list: 19% said they used the sites to keep in touch with professional contacts; 9% wanted to make new professional contacts; 6% sought professional development; and 5% said it was part of their job, the report found.
But now increasingly people are shifting to social media not only for personal reasons but also professional. Last week, a study conducted for Cisco found that 68% of IT decision-makers determined employees were accessing social networking sites from work. As the lines between personal and business computing increasingly blur, it is becoming clear that employees are going to use social networking and personal devices whether permitted or not.
Social networking sites’ impact on business is growing. Social networks are not only for the young: While almost 90% of connected 18 to 34-year-olds visit these sites today, 41% of online adults aged 50-plus make monthly visits to social networks, the study said.
