Social Machinery

Do you tweet while driving? Do you update your Facebook status at work or during vacation? Have you ever wonder how much time people spend on social networking activities like updating status, checking in on Facebook or posting a tweet on Twitter?

A recent study from Retrevo.com, a consumer electronics shopping site, tried to find the answers on how much control people have over their social media life.

Not surprisingly, the study showed that social media has become extremely addictive especially among the 35+ and youngster segments. According to them there is big risk of people becoming addicted to social networking.

How often people use Social media?

According to Retrevo´s study most users check their status and profile at least twice a day. However, segments below 35 years old check their social networking activity more than 10 times a day, which shows clear signs of addiction.

It is also interesting to see that there is big difference on how different age segments use social media, especially between those 35 and younger and those older than 35. The older segment indicated they spend a reasonable amount of time checking in on social media services while the younger group spends a humongous amount of hours texting, and checking in with their social media sites everywhere they are whether it’s in the car, at work, on vacation, or even after sex. Their main access point is mobile phones.

Mobile phone is enabling this addiction

The study claims that the main responsible of this wave of social media addiction is related to internet enabled mobiles and Smartphones reaching mass market.  In the study only 19% of the older segment studied (35+) use a mobile phone as the preferred device for social media services with 81% preferring instead a desktop or laptop computer. On the other side of the generation gap we found 46% of those younger than 35 indicating their preference for a mobile device for all things social media.

Twitter the most addictive digital drug

Twitter seems to be the worse and most addictive digital drug.  Among respondents under age 35, 27% of those who use Facebook said they check it more than 10 times a day compared to 39% of Twitter users checking in on Twitter more than 10 times a day.

Social Media after Sex          

By the way, is a common accepted norm to tweet after sex among young segments. The study found 36% of people under the age of 35 often use Facebook or Twitter after sex. Moreover men are twice more likely to exhibit this behavior than women and iPhone owners are three times more likely to go social media after this activity compared to Blackberry owners.    

Read more: http://www.retrevo.com/content/blog/facebooktwitternewcigarette