8% Growth in Social Media -- Thanks to Aging Facebook Users

The Guardian reports today that social media has seen an 8% growth in popularity, largely thanks to the growing number of older persons on Facebook. Writer Mercedes Bunz says, the use of social media is still growing: a survey has revealed that 19% of internet users now say they use Twitter or another service to share updates about themselves or see updates about others.

Bunz also reports that Facebook users are getting a lot older. Its median age is now 33, up from 26 in May 2008, while the average Twitterer is still 31, a figure that has remained stable over the past year. By comparison, MySpace users' median age is 26, down from 27 in May 2008, while LinkedIn is 39, down from 40.

With 8% growth, social media still on the rise - as Facebook users get older