The landscape of social media changes almost too quickly to talk about, but there are trends that are worth a look, especially in regards to % of users, and time spent invested per visit, and daily. Twitter and facebook are decidedly different networks, so they really aren’t competitors in a strict sense, but being as though they compete for your time online, they can be thought of that way.
In all likelihood, the majority of you have a facebook account (almost a billion users…come on), and for you it functions in a specific manner: share photos, stay up to date with friends and relatives, etc. But twitter’s more open design–being able to receive links and resources from people you may not “friend” on facebook (or real life, as it were), makes it a compelling choice for power users who are strapped for time and need to stay informed.
While Google+, pinterest, linkedin and others are listed, the two titans in the room are clearly the titular, blue-hued brands.
Just because you use both doesn’t mean, in terms of your own use, one isn’t “winning.” While you may emotionally prefer one over the other, the fact remains that we only have so many hours in a day to dedicate to interests, data, and connectivity. As these platforms grow–and seemingly replicate–new metrics may be in order to measure popularity.
Something that favors utility over profit or time invested.
Data Points
Approaching 70% of all adult online users are connected to one or more social media sites
Active facebook users? 845 million
Twitter? 127 million
Average facebook friend count? 130
Average number of twitter followers? 127
Average time spent per facebook visit? 23 minutes
For twitter? 11 minutes
And both user bases are similarly educated.
For a visual summary, see below.
Would love to hear how you use each in the comments.
Via: Online MBA Resource