How are young people using social media?
Analysis commissioned by DIUS from Forrester’s European
Technographics study
Steph Gray Rebecca Jennings
DIUS Social Media Forrester Research
September 2008

Technographics survey: July 2008
• 14,193 respondents across Europe, of which 2,006 in the UK
• This survey is based on online consumers who are members of
Ipsos-MORI online panel
• Ipsos weighted the data by age, sex and online tenure to
demographically represent the online adult European population per
country
• Ipsos fielded the survey in July 2008 and motivated respondents with
various incentives
• Confidence interval of around + or - 3% when the data is analyzed at
UK level
2

Question areas
• How often you use the internet
• How many hours are you actively online each week
• Where you go online from
• What else you’re doing while you’re online
• What kind of online activities do you do
• Putting your own opinions, videos, music and photos online
• Contributing to, organising or “tagging” content on websites
• Consuming content, including social content, on websites
• How often you visit social networking sites
• Main social networking site
• What you did the last few times you visited
• Attitudes towards social networking sites
• Attitudes towards virtual worlds
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Most young people are online every day – but no
more frequently than internet users generally
How often do you go online?
Base: 154 13-15 year olds, 107 16-19 year olds, 1586 16-64 year olds
Source: Forrester Technographics Media and Marketing Study Q3 2008 4

They go online from a greater variety of places
Go online at the following locations (multiple answers allowed)
7%
At any other place (e.g.
50% internet cafe)
Age 16-19 inc. 13% At a friends' place
57%
95% At work
6%
At school/college/
39% university/library
Age 13-15 inc. 1% At home
85%
95%
6%
14%
Age 16-64 inc 38%
11%
95%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Base: 154 13-15 year olds, 107 16-19 year olds, 1586 16-64 year olds
Source: Forrester Technographics Media and Marketing Study Q3 2008 5

For young people, internet use is a social activity
What do you do whilst using the internet/emailing at home?
66%
Eat 72%
54%
63%
Have the TVon 58%
55%
56%
Have friends over 54%
19%
64%
Listen to music/radio on your PC 55%
35%
Listen to music/radio (not on your 49%
PC) 42%
43%
46% Age 16-19 inc
Telephone people 32%
41%
32%
Age 13-15 inc
Playcomputer/PC games 43%
22%
Age 16-64 inc
10%
Read newspapers/magazines 5%
11%
Never do anything else while 2%
online 3%
11%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Base: 154 13-15 year olds, 107 16-19 year olds, 1586 16-64 year olds
Source: Forrester Technographics Media and Marketing Study Q3 2008
6

They watch less TV and surf more than adults: but TV
still takes up more time
Hours per week spent:
Watching TV on a TV (not on a 11.7
computer) 12.2
14.0
Using the Internet for personal 10.6
purposes
8.3
9.7
5.9
Watching videos/DVDs 5.0
3.4
Playing video games on a 4.8 Age 16-19 inc.
console
6.0
2.0 Age 13-15 inc.
4.4 Age 16-64 inc
Listening to the radio 2.0
6.7
Playing video games on a 3.7
computer 3.5
1.9
Using the Internet for work 2.3
purposes
1.5
3.7
1.9
Reading paper magazines 1.2
1.5
0.8
Reading paper newspapers 0.5
2.0 Hours per week
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Base: 154 13-15 year olds, 107 16-19 year olds, 1586 16-64 year olds
Source: Forrester Technographics Media and Marketing Study Q3 2008 7

Young people are far more likely to visit social
network sites, or watch content from other users
Frequency of visiting/consuming social content (at least monthly):
22%
Listen to podcasts 23%
11%
31% Age 16-19 inc
Read customer ratings/reviews of
25%
products or services
35%
Age 13-15 inc
37%
Read online forums or discussion
28%
groups
30% Age 16-64 inc
56%
Listen to or download audio/music
56%
from other users
24%
66%
Watch video from other users (e.g.
74%
YouTube)
41%
57%
Read blogs 54%
24%
77%
Visit social networking sites 64%
40%
67%
Update/maintain a profile on a social
53%
networking site
31%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Base: 154 13-15 year olds, 107 16-19 year olds, 1586 16-64 year olds
Source: Forrester Technographics Media and Marketing Study Q3 2008 8

Income/social grade doesn’t seem to be a key
influencer when it comes to social media
Frequency of visiting/consuming social content (at least monthly):
Base: 2006 Online UK Consumers
Source: Forrester Technographics Benchmark Study Q3 2008 10

Commenting more popular than editing wikis, using
RSS or taking part in forums
Frequency of contributing to social content (at least monthly)
7%
Vote for websites online 8%
5%
Age 16-19 inc
Add labels or tags to Web pages, 13%
8%
online photos, etc.\"
7% Age 13-15 inc
Use RSS (Really Simple 6%
3% Age 16-64 inc
Syndication) feeds
4%
4%
Contribute to/edit articles in a wiki 3%
3%
Contribute to online forums or 21%
discussion groups 16%
18%
Post ratings/reviews of products or
12%
services 10%
11%
36%
Comment on someone else's blog 35%
13%
Add comments to someone's profile 62%
on a social networking site 51%
26%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Base: 154 13-15 year olds, 107 16-19 year olds, 1586 16-64 year olds
Source: Forrester Technographics Media and Marketing Study Q3 2008 11

One in four young people are bloggers, and rising
Frequency of putting own opinions/content on the internet (at least monthly)
Write articles, stories, 3%
poems etc. and post them 8%
online 4%
18%
Publish or update your own
19%
Web pages
10%
25%
Upload photos to a public
16%
website
12%
Age 16-19 inc
20%
Upload audio/music you
12%
created to a public website Age 13-15 inc
6%
19% Age 16-64 inc
Upload video you created
17%
to a public website
8%
25%
Publish, maintain or update
31%
a blog
11%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Base: 154 13-15 year olds, 107 16-19 year olds, 1586 16-64 year olds
Source: Forrester Technographics Media and Marketing Study Q3 2008 13

Usage of IM, YouTube and main social networking
sites is particularly high amongst young people
Percentage of consumers who use these sites on a least a weekly basis
68%
Google 76%
69%
40% Probably reflects
MSN 53%
22% the popularity of
51%
You Tube 66% MSN Messenger
27%
32%
Yahoo! 29%
31%
31%
Bebo.com 43%
7%
16% Age 16-19 inc
Wikipedia 16%
19%
54% Age 13-15 inc
MySpace 38%
11% Age 16-64 inc
7%
MSN Groups 5%
2%
54%
Facebook 41%
29%
7%
Google Groups 10%
8%
10%
Windows Live Spaces 8%
6%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Base: 154 13-15 year olds, 107 16-19 year olds, 1586 16-64 year olds
Source: Forrester Technographics Media and Marketing Study Q3 2008 15

Social networking is a daily habit for at least a
quarter of young people
Percentage of consumers who use these sites on a least a daily basis
Base: 154 13-15 year olds, 107 16-19 year olds, 1586 16-64 year olds
Source: Forrester Technographics Media and Marketing Study Q3 2008 16

Bebo dominates amongst early teens, though loses
ground to Facebook and MySpace as they get older
Which is your main networking site?
Base: 2006 Online UK Consumers
Source: Forrester Technographics Benchmark Study Q3 2008 17

How young people use social networking sites is
similar to everyone else - perhaps more ‘social’?
Done on last visit to social networking site
78%
Read updates from my friends 81%
66%
75%
Looked at profiles of people I know 75%
62%
69%
Sent a message to someone 73%
56%
65%
Looked at my friend's photos 63%
49%
57%
Posted/updated my profile 55%
43%
27%
Sent a friend/connection request 37%
30%
17%
Searched for someone that I used to know 10%
29% Age 16-19 inc
29%
Updated my status 34%
28% Age 13-15 inc
27%
Looked at profiles of people I don't know 23%
18%
17% Age 16-64 inc
Took a quiz 23%
17%
12%
Added an application 19%
17%
14%
Joined a group 11%
15%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Base: 124 13-15 year olds, 93 16-19 year olds, 920 16-64 year olds who visit social network sites
Source: Forrester Technographics Media and Marketing Study Q3 2008 18

Attitudinally, young people feel virtually no different
about social networks than others
Percentages of online consumers who agree:
78%
I generally tell the truth on my social network page/profile 76%
80%
42%
I am very concerned about my privacy on social network sites 48%
49%
I spend less time on social networking sites now compared to a 49%
40%
few months ago
45%
I'm annoyed by the number of friends &/or application invites 26%
sent to me on social networking sites 32%
30%
Brands should create special applications or provide unique 20%
24% Age 16-19 inc
content on social networking sites
18%
22% Age 13-15 inc
I use my network to ask questions and to look for information 21%
19%
17%
Age 16-64 inc
I think more highly of brands or companies that my friends have
20%
connected to
14%
I'm comfortable receiving advertising on social networking sites 15%
based on my profile/activities
18%
18%
13%
I have added a brand as a friend on a social networking site 13%
11%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Base: 124 13-15 year olds, 93 16-19 year olds, 920 16-64 year olds who visit social network sites
Source: Forrester Technographics Media and Marketing Study Q3 2008 19

Few young consumers seem interested in virtual
worlds (but do they know what they are?)
“A virtual world is a computer-based simulated environment intended for its users to inhabit
and interact via virtual reality. This type of virtual world is now most common in massively
multiplayer online games (e.g. Second Life). Have you ever heard of virtual worlds?”
I hav nev heard of v
e er irtual worlds before this surv ey.
I hav heard of v
e irtual worlds, but I'm not interested in joining one
I hav heard of v
e irtual worlds, and I am interested in using one.
I belong to at least one v irtual world, but rarely v isit it
I belong to at least one v irtual world and often v isit it
I used to visit some of these v irtual worlds, but am not using them anymore
Age 16-19 inc 28% 50% 9% 6% 2% 6%
Age 13-15 inc 29% 42% 11% 3% 8% 8%
1%
Age 16-64 inc 36% 50% 8% 2% 3%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Base: 154 13-15 year olds, 107 16-19 year olds, 1586 16-64 year olds
Source: Forrester Technographics Media and Marketing Study Q3 2008 20

Engagement with social media is high amongst
young people
16-64 13-15 16-19 Publish a blog
Publish your own Web pages
19% 43% 42% Creators Upload video you created
Upload audio/music you created
Write articles or stories and post them
Post ratings/reviews of products/services
27% 47% 44% Critics
Comment on someone else’s blog
Contribute to online forums
Contribute to/edit articles in a wiki
Use RSS feeds
11% 15% 21% Collectors Add “tags” to Web pages or photos
“Vote” for Web sites online
40% 66% 77% Joiners
Maintain profile on a social networking site
Visit social networking sites
Read blogs
Watch video from other users
59% 84% 79% Spectators Listen to podcasts
Read online forums
Read customer ratings/reviews
29% 10% 10% Inactives None of the above
Groups include people participating in at least one of the activities monthly. 21

Summary (i)
• Going online is a social experience, not just a solitary one
• Young people watch less TV and listen to less radio than general online
population, watching DVDs, playing video games, and surfing instead
• Much bigger users of multimedia content online: podcasts, music, video
• Every day, half of younger teens use IM, a third visit YouTube and a
quarter use social networking sites
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Summary (ii)
• Young people read blogs and use social networking much more than
average internet users - and nearly one in three are active bloggers
• But they aren't social media geeks: they comment on things, but very few
use RSS, wikis, tagging - or virtual worlds
• Maybe because they are less prolific consumers, reviews and ratings are a
lower priority for young people
• Bebo is the leading network for younger teens; Facebook/MySpace for
older
• But nearly half say they're spending less time social networking online than
before, and a similar proportion are very concerned about privacy - in line
with what other internet users say
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Challenges and implications
• If young people surf with friends, what does that mean for the
online experiences we design for them?
• As media consumption fragments, what will integrated marketing
campaigns aimed at engaging young people look like in future?
• Where are the appropriate online spaces to engage young people
with public service messages?
• How do we learn from talented young bloggers and commenters?
• How much tech savvy can we assume young people have?
• How we do address the privacy concerns of young people?
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