I'm in the same boat as you. Most everyone I know ends up having a Facebook, even if they don't really use it all that often but very few people (those usually in tech) have a Twitter account.
I'm in the same boat as you. Most everyone I know ends up having a Facebook, even if they don't really use it all that often but very few people (those usually in tech) have a Twitter account.
In my experience (in the U.K. at least) Facebook is used as an address book of sorts to keep in contact with folk known in real life. Real names are used, you might have your gran or old...
In my experience (in the U.K. at least) Facebook is used as an address book of sorts to keep in contact with folk known in real life. Real names are used, you might have your gran or old university friends on there.
Twitter is used more frequently to contact people not directly known for more "online" conversations. It would be more usual to add someone on Twitter that you'd never met, celebrities, politicians, journalists, random people that look like they have a similar interest and so on, perhaps using an online handle rather than your real name.
This by definition includes more tech type people as they are more so the type of person to maintain primarily online relationships. But it also includes heavier internet users who aren't necessarily interested in tech. I wouldn't say it splits between blue and white collar workers necessarily.
All of that being said, the pattern I've described has become less true over the past couple of years.
-edit Or what StellerV said, which I would have seen before I wrote that if I hadn't sat with the response window open for an hour.
Twitter is largely focused on following celebrities and various social trends and conversations with acquaintances or strangers. It's like the bustling city of social media. Facebook has always...
Twitter is largely focused on following celebrities and various social trends and conversations with acquaintances or strangers. It's like the bustling city of social media. Facebook has always had a more down-to-Earth image of following your extended family, looking up old classmates, and extending your social circle to friends of friends. It's like the small town of social media. At least that's how I've seen it.
Unless they're a political/tech/news junkie, Twitter isn't really the sort of site most people are on. It's not really about connecting with people as it is getting updates and being snarky. Lots...
Unless they're a political/tech/news junkie, Twitter isn't really the sort of site most people are on. It's not really about connecting with people as it is getting updates and being snarky. Lots of people don't care about the former, and can get the latter elsewhere.
Very much the same. As I'm not a celebrity, I see absolutely no upside to using the platform. As I don't care about celebrities, I also don't see any point in viewing the platform.
Very much the same. As I'm not a celebrity, I see absolutely no upside to using the platform. As I don't care about celebrities, I also don't see any point in viewing the platform.
Because I have historically poor impulse control, and it's only a matter of time before something I post gets jumped on, because there is insufficient context in 160 characters.
Because I have historically poor impulse control, and it's only a matter of time before something I post gets jumped on, because there is insufficient context in 160 characters.
Industry, location, age, income, etc. all affect this. I work in tech, but most people I know don't use Twitter (or at least never talk about it), and absolutely everyone at least has a Facebook...
Industry, location, age, income, etc. all affect this. I work in tech, but most people I know don't use Twitter (or at least never talk about it), and absolutely everyone at least has a Facebook account that they don't use anymore. I can only think of one person I know personally that has a Twitter handle I know without looking it up.
I think this depends a lot on the industry. I personally know only a handful of Twitter users and they tend to be in more client-facing or business development roles.
I think this depends a lot on the industry. I personally know only a handful of Twitter users and they tend to be in more client-facing or business development roles.
I'd love to see this broken down more by age, gender, and region. I know at my kid's school, Instagram is king and Snapchat is a distant second in popularity.
I'd love to see this broken down more by age, gender, and region. I know at my kid's school, Instagram is king and Snapchat is a distant second in popularity.
Yes, I'm in the US. I just think it would be interesting to see if there are diverging preferences in platforms based on region, age, sex, or what have you.
Yes, I'm in the US. I just think it would be interesting to see if there are diverging preferences in platforms based on region, age, sex, or what have you.
which, sadly, is being eclipsed by Facebook-owned Instagram. that's not really related, but I never understood why people were complaining about Snapchat's redesign so much. it separated content...
which, sadly, is being eclipsed by Facebook-owned Instagram.
that's not really related, but I never understood why people were complaining about Snapchat's redesign so much. it separated content posted by friends from all the clickbaity garbage!
I'm in the same boat as you. Most everyone I know ends up having a Facebook, even if they don't really use it all that often but very few people (those usually in tech) have a Twitter account.
In my experience (in the U.K. at least) Facebook is used as an address book of sorts to keep in contact with folk known in real life. Real names are used, you might have your gran or old university friends on there.
Twitter is used more frequently to contact people not directly known for more "online" conversations. It would be more usual to add someone on Twitter that you'd never met, celebrities, politicians, journalists, random people that look like they have a similar interest and so on, perhaps using an online handle rather than your real name.
This by definition includes more tech type people as they are more so the type of person to maintain primarily online relationships. But it also includes heavier internet users who aren't necessarily interested in tech. I wouldn't say it splits between blue and white collar workers necessarily.
All of that being said, the pattern I've described has become less true over the past couple of years.
-edit Or what StellerV said, which I would have seen before I wrote that if I hadn't sat with the response window open for an hour.
Twitter is largely focused on following celebrities and various social trends and conversations with acquaintances or strangers. It's like the bustling city of social media. Facebook has always had a more down-to-Earth image of following your extended family, looking up old classmates, and extending your social circle to friends of friends. It's like the small town of social media. At least that's how I've seen it.
Unless they're a political/tech/news junkie, Twitter isn't really the sort of site most people are on. It's not really about connecting with people as it is getting updates and being snarky. Lots of people don't care about the former, and can get the latter elsewhere.
I have never had a twitter account, because I saw it as something which could only get me in trouble.
Very much the same. As I'm not a celebrity, I see absolutely no upside to using the platform. As I don't care about celebrities, I also don't see any point in viewing the platform.
Because I have historically poor impulse control, and it's only a matter of time before something I post gets jumped on, because there is insufficient context in 160 characters.
Industry, location, age, income, etc. all affect this. I work in tech, but most people I know don't use Twitter (or at least never talk about it), and absolutely everyone at least has a Facebook account that they don't use anymore. I can only think of one person I know personally that has a Twitter handle I know without looking it up.
I think this depends a lot on the industry. I personally know only a handful of Twitter users and they tend to be in more client-facing or business development roles.
I'd love to see this broken down more by age, gender, and region. I know at my kid's school, Instagram is king and Snapchat is a distant second in popularity.
I believe that the majority of the article is speaking strictly about the numbers in the U.K. - I almost added that to the title. Are you in the US?
Yes, I'm in the US. I just think it would be interesting to see if there are diverging preferences in platforms based on region, age, sex, or what have you.
Agreed.
which, sadly, is being eclipsed by Facebook-owned Instagram.
that's not really related, but I never understood why people were complaining about Snapchat's redesign so much. it separated content posted by friends from all the clickbaity garbage!