Communities

Clocking Time on Social Networks

People spend an everincreasing amount of time on social networks, but where are they spending their time?
by

Diarmaid Byrne

Illustrations: Amit Mirchandani

As new social networks grow quickly, and their new member rates increase exponentially, they generate a tremendous amount of hype. Part of this is of course PR-created and part is word-of-mouth and referrals, as more of ones social group joins a new social network, people are compelled to join as well so as to feel involved. For all the hype these generate, how much of their time do people actually spend on social networks? While the vast majority of time is unsurprisingly spent on Facebook, people spend very little time relatively on other social networks. In fact, looking at recent research by Pew Research Centre, 38% of 18-29 year olds plan to spend less time on Facebook in 2013. It would be interesting if Pew had been able to break this down further and identify what activities in particular people spend their time on, and which activities are encouraging them to take a break from Facebook.

Social Networks Men spend their time on

References
van Grove, Jennifer. Facebook grabs most attention among social sites. CNET. 14 Feb 2013. Popkin, Helen. We spent 230,060 years on social media in one month. CNBC. 4 Dec 2012.

Social Networks Women spend their time on

Kuliza Social Technology Quarterly Issue 08

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Kuliza Social Technology Quarterly Issue 08