I came across a Harris Interactive poll entitled Friendship in the Age of Social Networking Websites that contained an interesting statistic – the average number of friends teens keep on respective buddy lists.
The poll found that teen have an average of 52 friends on the IM buddy list, 38 friends entered in their cell phone – but they have 75 friends in SNS. The poll also found a 75% of teens use SNS. This is a useful point of comparison for researchers interested in the nature of friendship on SNS. Are there transferable ratios between various communication devices that hold steady for young people? Can this shine light onto how many “real” friends teens have in social networking services?
In Ling and Yttri’s chapter “Control, Emancipation and Status: The Mobile Telephone in the Teen’s Parental and Peer Group Control Relationships”, they showed that the average Norwegian teen (groups 13-15 and 16-19) had 90 friends in their register. On a weekly basis, they called little under 10% of those individuals. On a monthly basis, that ratio rose to about 25%. Of course, using a phone call as a measure of frienship is suspect – we likely have plenty of friends that we don’t call often, and this doesn’t make them less of a friend. However, the statistic is useful as it shows with how many of those friends teens are maintaining active relationships.
The other statistic from the Harris poll that interested me was a question about what types of friends teens and young people have. The poll found that for children 8-12, only 8% had friends who they only knew online (web friends), but that number grew to 36% for teens 13-18. The poll also found that 37% of children 8-12 actively maintain online/offline frienships.
Tags: adoption, statistics, study
Another great Stutzman article! Makes me more disappointed I can’t come in December.
Oups: I commented the next one before reading this one. . .
Whatever positive things I have said: triple it. This is litterally a goldmine for me: the study is certainly ridden with poll and sample and statistical problems—but it exist, and it will be repeated. I owe you a major favor.
I’ve been focusing not only on statistics when measuring adolescents use of social networking, but what they say, feel and do with and to their bodies. It provides a different perspective as my conversation with three USC freshman demonstrates. How friendship and romance will be impacts by SNS in future generations will be fascinating.
The social sciences have limits where the humanities have to pick up and ask fundamental questions about love, romance, relationships.
since I don’t believe in anonymity, got the blogger login to work on 2nd time.
Fred .. Great Post.I have provided a link to your post in my blogFriendship Wishes
I have a strong feeling that marketers are sitting on a minefield of database that can be targeted very effectively.It would be interesting to see how brands can leverage social networking websites to target teens.So far I have not heard of a great maketing story or Companies that is making a great effort to engage this audience in their plans
Hey thanks for the graphs…I have very less clue about the profit the sites are making with these new therapy of sustaining friendship but I’m seeing that these internet ant has infected most teens and all of them seem to lead a pale life without it…cyber friendship aka social networking has broadened our way to communicate with any one from any corner of the world with just a click…guess its really rocking rage for the marketers :)