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Show 14 SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY K THE MATURE SOCIAL NETWORK RODNEY GLORE STAFF REPORTER o O z ui Source: comScore Media Metrix Multi-Platfor- U.S., Age m, o O 9 m 18, Dec 2014 Z m Q zm H 9 19 22 16 15 1B 10 facebook ID Goggle- - 22 c IBM 7 13 riiiTfi'iniir rir 18 9 16 Linked IS 18 21 V 7 13 f evw 3 19 15 - v vr- Wat HH& 4 12 lastogacmi 21 15 17 7 ZD fpintcpcB 18 25 tumblr. 28 V&m2 23 15 17 11 6 10 7 I 26 45 o snapchat Age The demographics of whos on what social network are shifting. Older social networks like Facebook are reaching maturity, while newer social media platforms are gaining younger users and fast. Pew Research Centers 2014 social media update shows some new trends. The research center tracks demographics of users 18 and over who use Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and Linkedln. The minimum age to use many social media platforms is 13, yet Pew Research Center lacks information of users between the ages of 13 and 17. According to iStrategyLabs.com, the largest decrease in Facebook 18-- 24 Age 25-3- 4 users is between this age group. iStrategyLabs is a startup digital agency that builds everything from apps to animations and social strategies for organizations. The amount of teens aged 13 to 17 using Facebook has declined 25.3 percent over the past three years. Over the past two years, Pew Research Center has reported a large increase in silver surfers among the 55 and over age group. The shift in age of Facebook users has had a direct correlation with who is currently using this social media giant. The 18 to 29 age groups are no longer frequenting Facebook as much as they have in prior Age 35-4- 4 Age 13 45-5- 4 years. Their interest in newer social media platforms has increased. Costa Lasiy, ASWC president, said his entire family is on Facebook therefore he only uses this platform to see what friends and family are doing back home in Italy and Ukraine. To engage with friends here, he uses only Snapchat and Instagram. The younger generation likes to have the privacy of their own social media outlets, Lasiy said. Tonje Sekse, junior communication major, uses Facebook similarly. Facebook is out of date and I only use it to stay in contact with friends in Norway, Sekse said. Age 55-8- 4 10 pv Age Westminster students are using many social media platforms other than Facebook that are accessible through smart phones and other mobile devices. Students use Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Vine, Tumblr and Yik Yak. Lauren Newman, senior arts administration major, said she uses Facebook primarily as a news source. Instagram is the new Facebook on campus, Newman said. I check it for news stories, but I dont really post on Facebook. For Tree Hernandez, senior communication major, Twitter is a better platform for staying connected with others. Twitter is easier to connect lh i AiiBMinq 61 - 1 65 to people than Facebook, Hernandez said. Facebook has become impersonal. ) The majority of students at Westminster who were interviewed are following the major trend of moving toward ' instant social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter. According to an article published by the Pew Research Center, For the first time, roughly half of internet-usin- g young adults age 9 (53 percent) use Instagram and half of all Instagram users (49 percent) use the site daily. These statistics and student input point toward a shift from Facebook being a primary social interaction, to something of the past. 18-2- |