The latest Harris Interactive Poll as reported via Media Post has a few interesting stats clouded in a few oddly misleading negative statements like  "..51% of Americans do not use Twitter or have a MySpace or Facebook account." That means that those platforms have penetrated 49% of the US in some combination or other. That is about as hockey stick-growth as you get.

Again framed as a somewhat diminutive stat in the article, this one is huge: "While the media may have found Twitter, only 5% of Americans are currently using it."

5% of Americans are using Twitter! And those are more highly educated and potentially more influenntial in a general sense if for no other reason than traditional media's embrace of Twitter....

The Skinny:

Online Social Network Usage - By Age & Gender (All Online Adults; % of Age Group)

Age Group

Gender

Network Usage

Total

18-34

35-44

45-54

55+

Male

Female

Have a Facebook or MySpace account

48%

74

47

41

24

45

52

Update Facebook or MySpace account at least once a day

16

29

17

10

3

14

18

Use Twitter (Net)

5

8

7

4

1

5

5

  Follow people on Twitter

5

8

6

4

1

5

5

  Use Twitter to send messages

3

4

5

1

*

3

2

None of these

51

25

50

59

76

54

47'

Source: Harris Interactive, April 2009  Multiple responses allowed; * indicates less than 0.5%


Online Social Network Usage - By Education (All Online Adults; % of Group)

Education

Network Usage

Total

HS or less

Some College

College Grad+

Have a Facebook or MySpace account

48%

40

55

52

Update Facebook or MySpace account at least once a day

16

14

18

16

Use Twitter (Net)

5

3

7

6

  Follow people on Twitter

5

3

6

6

  Use Twitter to send messages

3

1

4

4

None of these

51

59

43

47

Source: Harris Interactive, April 2009  Multiple responses allowed; * indicates less than 0.5%

For additional information from Harris Interactive, please visit here.


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