“Don't Be Anti-Social”

Jacobs Media’s new tech survey shows spikes in social networking usage.
Facebook has now passed MySpace, while Twitter bubbles under.

In a new survey conducted by Jacobs Media among more than 21,000 members of rock radio email clubs, the use of social networking sites is on the rise. Overall, two-thirds (67%) visit and/or have profiles on these sites, up from 57% in last year’s Jacobs Media Technology Poll.

Women, fans of Alternative and Active/Mainstream Rock, and 18-34 year-olds are the most avid social networkers. In fact, more than eight in ten Alternative partisans (82%) use sites like MySpace and Facebook

But a key finding in this study is how social networking has caught on among older demographics and Classic Rockers. More than half (54%) of those who listen to stations that specialize in the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd spend time on these social networking outlets.

Another big story in this research is Facebook. Among all respondents, more than four in ten (43%) now visit or have built a profile on Facebook, compared to 38% for the long-time pioneer, MySpace. In fact, Facebook holds its lead among both genders, as well as the various age groups.

“This study has traditionally been a leading indicator of the change that is taking place in the social networking community,” notes Jacobs Media President Fred Jacobs. “Our technology polls have frequently foreshadowed trends, such as the exodus to cell-phone only, and the popularity of video streaming. Facebook is poised to pass the traditional category-killer MySpace.”

Other sites factor in this social networking sphere as well. Overall, 16% visit or have profiles on Classmates.com, especially 25+ listeners and Classic Rock fans. Nearly one in ten (9%) uses the career networking site LinkedIn. Fans of Alternative radio are especially likely to visit or connect on LinkedIn.

And finally, there’s Twitter – still bubbling under at 5%. This survey was conducted just prior to the Ashton Kutcher-CNN “followers” contest, so the expectation is for substantial growth in subsequent Jacobs Media Technology Polls. Tweeters are more likely to fall in the 18-29 year-old group, and are more apt to own an iPhone (or iPod Touch).

Social networking is also becoming a habitual activity. Of those who use these sites, four in ten (39%) say they visit them at least daily. And 4% frequent sites like Facebook and MySpace on at least an hourly basis.

The ways in which people connect with each other continue to undergo rapid change,” says Jacobs. “And adults are now becoming regular users of these sites, as they continue to catch up with technological change. America is getting more social – at least digitally speaking.”

You can also review our memo on Social Networking Do's & Don'ts, "Don't Be Anti-Social," from Jacobs Media's Keith Cunningham.

Jacobs Media’s Technology Web Poll V is the largest such study of its kind, fielded in mid-February/early March 2009, among more than 21,000 respondents across 64 different Rock-formatted stations. It is the fifth annual poll in the series, conducted among Rock radio listeners who are predominantly members of station email clubs. Participating stations represent Mainstream/Active Rock, Classic Rock, and Alternative outlets in markets around the U.S.

This is a web poll, and cannot replicate all radio listeners or even all Rock radio listeners. As with all Internet-based research projects of this kind, the results reflect only those who chose to participate in the survey, and do not necessarily represent the views of all Rock radio listeners in the country. Still, the 64 radio stations that invited their listeners to take the survey are a broad cross-section of Rock stations, from large and small markets, as well as those that play the newest Rock music and those that play only Classic Rock.

Jacobs Media is a Detroit-based media research and consulting firm, specializing in radio, television, and new media.

For more information, contact:
Fred Jacobs
Paul Jacobs