Photo Credit: Cyfuture.com
As we ease into the various topics of social media platforms, my mind wandered a bit. I reflected on something my student recently said, "I bet you still use Facebook like my Grandma." That one cut straight to my soul ! How could a student who knows my background and current Masters program accuse me of being old just because of my choice of social media platforms. I began to ponder this statement...Is there published data by either company that indicates that old people use Facebook more than other platforms?
Am I missing the boat by not engaging in "younger" learner platforms?
Apparently, the young student was right...but what I found was far more intersting than just an age gap!
Check out the article in SproutSocial by Mahnoor Sheikh titled "Social Media Demographics to Inform your 2025 Strategy"
Take a look at the demographics of your favorite platform and leave a comment below about what surprised you the most!
Here are a couple of take aways I never would have expected:
Photo Credit: SproutSocial.com
What is the most used social media by age?
- 18-29 years – YouTube (93%), Instagram (76%), Facebook (68%), Snapchat (65%)
- 30-49 years – YouTube (94%), Facebook (78%), Instagram (66%), Pinterest (43%)
- 50-64 years – YouTube (86%), Facebook (70%), Instagram (36%), LinkedIn (30%)
- 65+ – YouTube (65%), Facebook (59%), Pinterest (22%), Instagram (19%
I've heard similar comments about Facebook being for old people too! Some of the reasons I've heard is that people's parents joined and they would comment and follow their posts or older people constantly complain about politics and life, so it took the fun out of using the app. Since Instagram doesn't have the text post feature, using it is much less of a headache than Facebook.
ReplyDeleteI must admit, when my own parents (in their 70's) found social media and started commenting and not adhering to our "Younger" norms and ethics for social media, it definitely made me appreciate how the younger generations view us.
DeleteYouTube unites all generations it seems. I found this article also with statistics by Pew on teen use of social media use really fascinating. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2024/12/12/teens-social-media-and-technology-2024/
ReplyDeleteThe first graph gives a nice visual breakdown of how teen use of social media has changed. 10 years ago 70% of teens were on Facebook so we can't really say Facebook is for grandma and grandpa. Still 30% of teens are using Facebook. Tiktok, Instagram, and Snapchat are very popular at around 60-70%. To stay in the loop, it would make sense to familarize oneself with those platforms.
I started contemplating this article when I saw yours and Felipe's discussion posts. We are all in a different boat with the MS-ISLT pathway and our intended audience. Some, want to stay in pubic education, some want Higher Ed clients, some want private sector clients, so where are those clients and what social platforms are they using?
DeleteI love how you turned a playful comment from a student into an opportunity for reflection. My students have said the same thing to me too! Your post really made me think about how quickly social media habits evolve and how easily those changes can lead to assumptions about age or digital relevance.
ReplyDeleteThe data you shared was really eye-opening. I was especially surprised to see that YouTube is the most used platform across all age groups. I had always assumed it was mainly popular with younger audiences, but clearly it has a broad and lasting reach. That made me wonder if educators should be using YouTube more intentionally as a learning tool for both younger and older students.
I also appreciated how your post challenged the idea that being on Facebook makes someone out of touch. It is not really about which platform we use, but how we use it to engage, communicate, and support learning. Understanding who uses which platforms helps us be more strategic and inclusive in how we connect with students.
The YouTube one shocked me also. I knew that the monetary kick backs were bigger with YouTube than other platforms but I did not appreciate the scale difference in platforms. I found it very interesting that the one age group that Pinterest has nailed and that Linkedin is only viable after 50 y/o.
ReplyDelete