Twitter wins over teenagers in battle for online attention

Almost a quarter of teenagers in the US now use Twitter, a dramatic jump on last year that underlines how internet companies are battling to win fickle young users.

SOURCE: FT.COM
TIME: 2013.05.21
URL: www.ft.coms/....html

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THINGS LIST:

1. Almost 25% teenagers in the US now use Twitter, which is a dramatic jump on last year.
2. Internet companies are battling to win fickle young users, including adults and teens.
3. The growth of the microblogging site is a sign that teens are diversifying their social media habits to include a range of websites rather than just decamping from Facebook, as they use different sites for different groups of friends or family.
4. 24% of online teens now use Twitter, up from 16% in 2011, and even higher than the 16% of online adults who use the site.
5. Facebook remains the dominant social network for teens, with 94% of online teens saying they maintain a profile there, while 81% say it is the social media site they use most often.
6. 7% of online teens say they use Twittermost often
7. 3% say Instagram and 1% say Tumblr.

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ANALYSIS WAYS:

1. Internet companies are battling to win fickle young users, including adults and teens.
2. The growth of the microblogging site is a sign that teens are diversifying their social media habits to include a range of websites rather than just decamping from Facebook, as they use different sites for different groups of friends or family.
3. Adults were the first to colonise Twitter. However, teens are now migrating to Twitterin growing numbers, often as a supplement to their Facebook use.
4. Despite its popularity, maintaining a Facebook account is sometimes seen by teens as an obligation or even a burden, while newer services are more appealing, in part because they are “less social” or because parents are less likely to be there.
   “Yeah, that’s why we go on Twitter and Instagram,” said one 19-year old survey respondent. “My mom doesn’t have that.”
5. Some set up several account to interact with different groups of friends or family, while many have developed sophisticated ways to post information, such as inside jokes or arcane cultural references, so that only certain friends will understand the full and real meaning.
6. Advertisers put a huge amount of effort into marketing to teens, and are especially interested in exploiting social networks because this group is so influenced by their peers.

★ Tips：Your best friend liking something when you’re 13 is much more influential than your best friend liking something when you’re 35.