Adults are much less likely than teens to have a profile on a social network site. About three in ten (35%) adult Internet users have a profile on a social networking site like MySpace or Facebook according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project’s December 2008 tracking survey.

Teenagers are roughly twice as likely as adults to use these sites: among teens 12 to 17 years old, 65 percent have a profile on an online social network. Despite comparatively lower levels of social network use, usage of social network sites by adults has increased significantly over the past four years.

Back in February of 2005, just 8 percent of adult Internet users had used a social network site. That percentage had risen to 16 percent by August 2006, and as of December 2008 it stands at 35 percent of online adults.

Among adults, MySpace is the most popular online social network. Half (50%) of adult social network users 18 and older are on MySpace, while 22 percent are on Facebook. Another 6 percent have an account on LinkedIn, 2 percent have an account on Yahoo, and 1 percent have accounts on YouTube and Classmates.com.

About two in five (43%) adult social network users have one profile online. Another quarter have two profiles online, 12 percent have three profiles online and 13 percent have four or more online profiles.

Men are more likely than women to have tow or more online profiles (54% vs. 47%). Social network users under the age of 45 are more likely to have multiple profiles than users 45 and older.

Tags: Pew, Social Networks |

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