Growing Number of Adults Get News from Social Media [Infographic]

The Pew Research Center recently released a new study showing a growing number of adults are getting their news from social media. According to the study, 30% of Americans get their news on Facebook while another 8% get their news from Twitter. The study also showed that 84% of American adults do not use Twitter. Of the 16% who use Twitter, slightly more than half of those get their news via the medium. That’s astounding, showing how important Twitter is becoming as a marketing vehicle.

But wait, there’s more.

Another interesting stat is that 85% of the Twitter news consumers use a mobile device to access Twitter and get their news. This statistic mirrors the growing mobility numbers I mentioned in an earlier post. In addition, the percentages of men to women who get their news on Twitter is split 50/50. Interestingly enough, the female population who gets their news from Facebook outweighs the male population by a 58% to 42% split.

The survey also states that Twitter users by in large are younger and better educated versus those who get their news via Facebook or other mediums. Forty percent of Twitter users have at least a bachelor’s degree with 45% of the Twitter news consuming users being between the ages of 18 and 29. The younger generations are definitely embracing technology at a more rapid rate.

Another interesting statistic that stood out to me is that 48% of Twitter news consumers also have incomes in excess of $75,000 annually. In total, 83% of the Twitter using population are between the ages of 18 and 49 and nearly half (48%) of all users are making more than $75,000. These statistics are a marketer’s dream as they define the demographics that are the most coveted consumer categories for businesses.

With all that said, this is another reason for companies to embrace social media as part of their marketing toolbox. The days of actually picking up a newspaper or turning on a news channel to get the news are waning. Social media allows for quick delivery and consumption of news and information to the masses.

I put together an infographic that illustrates some of these statistics. Feel free to add it to your site, but please link back to my site. Please do not link to the image directly.

Buffer