Are social media stereotypes true?

Most twenty-somethings think they know everything about social media. I mean, most college kids basically live on Facebook or Twitter. We all recognize certain social media stereotypes that are widespread in the digital world: Facebook is for high school and college kids; LinkedIn is for old businessy-type people, Twitter is for loud-mouthed youth,

This week the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project issued a report that revealed who is really using which social media-- and yes, some of the stereotypes proved to be true. The findings of this study are as follows:

• 58% of US Internet users that earn up to $50,000 per year are typically found on LinkedIn, while only 7% of those that earn less than $30,000 annually. 
• 56% of Internet users 50 year old or older are using Facebook.
• 19% of female Internet users are on Pinterest, compared to only 5% of male Internet users.

These stats represent over 1,005 US adults (799 of whom identified themeselves as Internet users) that were called by the Pew Research Center's phone survey team between August 2-5, 2012.

Additionally, Pew asked about 6 different social media outlets-- Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr-- and discovered some of the following data:

• 66% of the surveyed Internet users use Facebook. The gender spread of users on Facebook is close to even, with female users slightly above male users. The largest age group on Facebook is ages 18-29, closely followed by the 30-49 age group. Annual household income wasn't a huge determining factor for FB users, and neither was their education level. 
• 16% of the surveyed Internet users use Twitter. The gender spread of users on Twitter was fairly similar, with just a few more male than female users. The largest age group on Twitter is the 18-29 category. Users with an annual household income of over $75,000 per year are more likely to use Twitter than those with a lower annual income. Lastly, most Twitter users have had some college education in comparison to those that only have a high school education.
• 20% of the surveyed Internet users use LinkedIn. Both male and female users are on LinkedIn. Users who make more than $75,000 per year are more likely to use LinkedIn, as are users who have graduated college. 
• 12% of the surveyed Internet users are on Pinterest. Mainly women use Pinterest in the 18-29 age category. Most of these users make between $50,000 -$74,999 per year and have some college education. 
• 12% of the surveyed Internet users are on Instagram. Both men and women use Instagram and are mainly in the 18-29 age group. Most of these users make over $75,000 per year and have some college education.
• 5% of the surveyed Internet users are on Tumblr. Far more women use Tumblr than men, and most users fall into the 18-29 age category. Most users earn between $30,000 -$49,999 annually and have some college education.

This type of survey can shed light on previously unfounded social media stereotypes and is helpful for marketers in that they can figure out the social profile of their consumers and takes steps to integrate that information into their business's social media plan. In many cases, older users are online and can be reached effectively through social media marketing efforts. So, it isn't just high school and college kids on social media-- it's everyone!