Facebook Sees Demographic Shift

By: Sarah Lundgren

ATHENS, Ga.- Since its creation in a Harvard dorm room in 2004, Facebook began as a tool for college students but has expanded its borders to encompass internet users of all ages. The site's own statistics say it currently links 400 million users of varying ages and professions on over 30,000 networks.
According to a report conducted by Peter Corbett for Istrategylabs.com, the number of Facebook users in the U.S. went from 42 million to 103 million between 2009 and 2010 alone. The report also makes it very clear that the typical user’s age on the web site is no longer what it used to be.

Facebook User Age in 2009 vs. 2010:
2009 Age range:
13-17: 13%
18-24: 41%
25-34: 27%
35-54: 17%
55+: 3%

2010 Age range:
13-17: 10%
18-24: 25%
25-34: 25%
35-54: 29%
55+: 10%
Unknown: 1%

It doesn't take a number-cruncher to realize that older users are making their way into the facebook world. Both students and staff at the University of Georgia have taken notice.

Question: What are your thoughts on Facebook users above the age of 24?

Zach Hoffman- pre-med major--on his 48-year-old mother’s Facebook account: “It's all good that she has one, because a lot of older people do now. She can just be annoying when she creeps on my friends, and tells me about their lives and my own"

Sam Adelman-political science major--on her 58-year-old father's Facebook: “I don’t feel comfortable using it as a social tool the way I used to. I don’t always want him seeing what I do on Friday night, but there’s a chance he will.”

Mark Johnson-photojournalism lecturer--age 39: “Those of a mature age know how to communicate, when to communicate, and what the appropriate tool will be. When I look at student versus colleague or peer usage, there's a much higher degree of efficiency and importance as compared to student usage.”

Edited by: Megan Thornton