Facebook is Growing Up Fast: Number of Users Over 35 Doubled in Last 60 Days
Facebook, the social network juggernaut that once started out as a closed social network for college students, not only has become a mainstream phenomenon, but it is also attracting more and more older users. Over the last 60 days, according to data from Inside Facebook, the number of users over 35 doubled, and the fastest growing demographic on Facebook is women over 55. The majority of Facebook users are now over 25.
Interestingly, looking at Facebook's growth in the U.S., not only are the majority of new users over 25, but there is also a far larger number of new female users than male (13.5 million vs. 9.5 million in the last 180 days). Growth among users between 18 and 25 (a group highly coveted by marketers), however, has been relatively slow - only about 2.3 million signed up in the last 180 days.
These trends, of course, are not exactly new. As early as 2007, the number of Facebook visitors 35 and older had doubled from a year ago, though clearly, this trend is only getting more pronounced now.
It'll be interesting to see how this change in Facebook's demographics will change the culture on the service.
Note: If your mother, father, and boss have signed up for Facebook, here are our recommendations for how to friend them.
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I've noticed this. My mother, grandmother and Aunts and Uncles all joined facebook in the last month. This madness MUST BE STOPPED!
As soon as your mother joins a social networking site you know it's time to leave!
Next!
Facebook is finished...NEXT!
I wonder if mindset has changed as quickly as the statistics with older people getting on Facebook. Not long ago, it was considered "weird" when someone over age 30 was on Facebook - heck, even someone out of college, really. It was thought of as a social networking site for students. But now that the demographics are shifting, will acceptance from the young people on Facebook shift as quickly?
I know. My step-dad signed up on FB and uses it every day. He's 80. And, he wanted me to explain Twitter to him. Huh....
Facebook is not my bag.
After using FaceBook for a month I had to just say no.
http://kayamawasailor.blogspot.com/2009/04/facebird.html
I'm currently trying to think where threaded comments fit in the roadmap right now, but it is something that is definitely planned. We're not going to say people *have* to use threaded comments, but the system shouldn't restrict people who want to have that option. Plus for larger conversations I think threaded comments make everything easier to follow.