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The Visual Web is Social Media's Future

Written by Guest contributor

Through a special arrangement, presented here for discussion is a summary of a current article from MarketingCharts, a Watershed Publishing publication providing up-to-to-minute data and research to marketers.

Fifty-four percent of U.S. internet users aged 18 and up now post original photos and videos online, up from 46 percent last year, according to a new Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project. Predictably, the study shows that users of two of the more popular sharing social apps — Instagram and Snapchat — skew particularly young.

Snapchat, which automatically deletes messages soon after they are received, is being used by 26 percent of 18-29-year-olds versus nine percent of all cell phone users. Among other key groups, it's used by only five percent of 30-49-year-olds, three percent of the 50-64 crowd and two percent of those 65 and older. Interestingly, there's no real gender disparity to speak of, nor is there any meaningful gap in adoption between whites, African-Americans and education-attainment levels.

By contrast, Instagram, which enables users to take pictures and videos, apply digital filters to them, and share them across social media networks, has been used by 43 percent of 18-29-year-olds versus 18 percent of all cell phone users. That number is likely to rise over time given a recent study from Piper Jaffrey showing that Instagram is now the second-most important social network for American teens, tied with Facebook and behind Twitter.

While the adoption rate falls significantly among older age groups, 18 percent of respondents in the 30-49 age group say they use Instagram, suggesting that Instagram's user base isn't as heavily skewed towards youth as Snapchat's.

Recent data from GlobalWebIndex indicates that 12 percent of smartphone users worldwide are using Instagram as of Q3, with that figure representing 130 percent growth from the start of this year. Earlier data from SimplyMeasured demonstrates that top brands are paying more attention to the app — and surely will be giving it a closer look now that ads are coming.

Other findings in the Pew survey:

  • Among Instagram users, 24 percent say they use it several times a day, while another 12 percent say they use it daily;
  • Fifty-six percent of female internet users post original photos on the internet ("creators"), compared to 48 percent of males.
  • Forty-seven percent of adult internet users report sharing images and videos they found elsewhere online ("curators"), up from 41 percent last year.
  • Both creators and curators skew towards the 18-29 age group.

 

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