This was posted last week at the Mashable/Social Media website
Online gaming site Roiworld surveyed 600 teens ages 13 to 17 in late April and found that teens spend two hours per day online on average, 80% of which is spent using a social network. These same teens are, however, showing signs of “Facebook Fatigue.” Nearly one in five (19%) who have an account no longer visit Facebook or are using it less.
Of the group that are saying goodbye to Facebook( ), 45% have lost interest, 16% are leaving because their parents are there, 14% say there are “too many adults/older people” and 13% are concerned about the privacy of their personal information.
While interest in Facebook may be waning, it’s still the most popular social network among teens — 78% have created a profile and 69% still use it. YouTube( ) ranks second; 64% of teens claim to have a YouTube profile and continue to use the site. MySpace( ) comes in a distant third (41%) and Twitter( ) takes the fourth spot (20%).
The study also suggests that the teens that continue to stick to Facebook do so primarily to play games. Roiworld found that more than one-third of the teens who play games on Facebook admit to spending at least 50% of their time on the site immersed in gameplay. The online gaming trend extends far beyond Facebook, as 75% of surveyed teens claim to play games on the web.
It seems obvious that the newest generation of online users would have few qualms about spending money online, and this study supports that theory. The research purports that 43% of teens using social sites have spent money within a social network. They’re purchasing items such as currency for virtual items (35%), music (33%), avatar accessories (30%) and points to level up (23%). Nearly half of this crowd (49%) indicate that they have an allowance for such expenditures.
For more on how teens are spending their time and money online, check out a portion of The Teens and Social Networks study embedded below.
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2 Comments
Facebook Fatigue … love it! And I can relate to this. Facebook has been an easy connect between me and our church student ministry. And I supported it’s use. After all, as youth ministers and workers, we want to be where kids are. And they were on facebook in herds. Here are some random thoughts, in no particular order, about how I’ve noticed facebook use tracking in our student ministry.
At first, it seemed like a wise investment of my time. I had a sense that I knew the kids better, and that I had a better understanding of what situations they were walking through. In fact, I was just seeing moments of their days and momentary (and most often quickly fleeing) emotions. We were building one-dimensional relationships. It is so easy to respond “yes” or “maybe” to an event invitation, without giving any real thought as to whether we will go or not. Just good intentions and little follow-through. The students in my group are beginning to realize it’s too easy to put too much out there, and then they have to deal with the fall-out at home or at school.
I am considering a Facebook Fast, where we will foster more interpersonal connection throughout our student ministry. On my part, it will take more time and effort, but our students crave relationship. They were built by God, with the need for relationship hardwired in. Facebook is fine for quick updates and calendar reminders, but for me, at least, I’m finding it best to relate on a more personal level.
I know several people that have are are planning on a facebook fast. It maybe an idea we all need to put into our lives….