Hacking MySpace

Most people think of MySpace as a place for young people to hang out, but a recent research by comScore Media Metrix has revealed that half the site’s user are over 35, while only 30% are under 25. This comes as a huge relief to me, as I turn 35 in December!

MySpace is not just for the young

A year ago teenagers made up about 25% of MySpace; now they make up about 12%. The 35-54 agre group increased from 32% to 41%.

The findings were part of a larger study that analysed the users of leading social networking sites, revealing that significant age differences exist between the user bases of these sites.

Visitors to MySpace.com and Friendster.com generally skew older, with people age 25 and older comprising 68 and 71 percent of their user bases, respectively.

Meanwhile, Xanga.com has a younger user profile, with 20 percent of its users in the 12-17 age range, about twice as high as that age segment’s representation within the total Internet audience. Not surprisingly, Facebook.com, which began as a social networking site for college students, also draws a younger audience. More than one-third (34 percent) of visitors to Facebook.com are 18-24 years old, approximately three times the representation of that age segment in the general Internet population.

“While the top social networking sites are typically viewed as directly competing with one another, our analysis demonstrates that each site occupies a slightly different niche,” commented Jack Flanagan, executive vice president of comScore Media Metrix.

“MySpace.com has the broadest appeal across age ranges, Facebook.com has created a niche among the college crowd, Friendster.com attracts a higher percentage of adults, and Xanga.com is most popular among younger teens. There is a misconception that social networking is the exclusive domain of teenagers, but this analysis confirms that the appeal of social networking sites is far broader.”

    Demographic Profile of Visitors to Select Social Networking Sites
    Percent Composition of Total Unique Visitors
    August 2006
    Total U.S. - Home/Work/University Locations
    Source: comScore Media Metrix
                          Percent (%) Composition of Unique Visitors
                   Total
                 Internet MySpace.com Facebook.com Friendster.com Xanga.com
    Unique
     Visitors
     (000)         173,407    55,778      14,782        1,043       8,066
    Total Audience   100.0     100.0       100.0        100.0       100.0
      Persons: 12-17   9.6      11.9        14.0         10.6        20.3
      Persons: 18-24  11.3      18.1        34.0         15.6        15.5
      Persons: 25-34  14.5      16.7         8.6         28.2        11.0
      Persons: 35-54  38.5      40.6        33.5         34.5        35.6
      Persons: 55+    18.0      11.0         7.6          8.1         7.3

    Composition of MySpace.com Visitors Now Skews Older

An analysis of visitors to MySpace.com shows that as the site has experienced dramatic visitor growth, it has become more popular among older Internet users.

The most significant shift has occurred among teens 12-17, who accounted for 24.7 percent of the MySpace audience in August 2005, but today represent a much lower 11.9 percent of the site’s total audience. Conversely, Internet users between the ages of 35-54 now account for 40.6 percent of the MySpace visitor base, an 8.2 percentage point increase during the past year.

    Demographic Profile of Visitors to MySpace.com
    Percent Composition of Total Unique Visitors
    August 2006 vs. August 2005
    Total U.S. - Home/Work/University Locations
    Source: comScore Media Metrix
                                                  MySpace.com
                                   Percent (%) Composition of Unique Visitors
                                     Aug-05         Aug-06      Point Change
    Unique Visitors (000)            21,819          55,778
    Total Audience                    100.0           100.0           0.0
      Persons: 12-17                   24.7            11.9         -12.8
      Persons: 18-24                   19.6            18.1          -1.4
      Persons: 25-34                   10.4            16.7           6.2
      Persons: 35-54                   32.4            40.6           8.2
      Persons: 55+                      7.1            11.0           3.9

“As social networking sites have become mainstream, the demographic composition of MySpace.com has changed considerably. Last year half of the site’s visitors were at least 25 years old, while today more than two-thirds of MySpace visitors are age 25 or older,” continued Mr. Flanagan.

“It will be interesting to monitor the shifts in Facebook’s demographic composition that will undoubtedly occur as a result of the company’s recent decision to open its doors to users of all ages.”

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