Use of Social Media Reaching Critical Mass

Over 50% of US adults use text messaging, blogging and other types of social media to regularly. 85% of adults in the all-important 18-34 age group rely on one or more Web 2.0 platforms to stay in touch with others according to to MediaPost's  OMG! UM Finds Web 2.0 Breeding Consumers 2.0, Social Media Attains Critical Mass. The article reports results from the latest wave of Universal McCann's  "Media in Mind" tracking study. From the survey results:

Old School Messaging

• 22% of all American adults say they rely on instant messaging, up from 9% in 2007.
• 21% of adults age 18-34 rely on instant messaging, up from 14% in 2007.
• Only 41% of US adults say they've never sent a text message, down 8% from a year ago.
• Among 18- to 34-year-olds, the proportion of those who have never sent a text message has fallen to 22%, a decline of 16% from last year.

Internet Self-Publishing

• 10% of US adults now publish blogs. That number was only 5% last year.
• Younger Americans publish blogs at twice that rate: Some 20% of US adults age 18-34 publish a blog, up from 10% last year.

[RJ]