Youngsters Favor MySpace/Facebook Equally

Mike Shields - MediaWeek.com 9.20.07


The youngest, most active social networking devotees account for a disproportionate amount of the traffic on the two top sites in the category--MySpace and Facebook--and they don’t favor either brand.

According to a new report issued by Nielsen//NetRatings, U.S. Web users aged 12-17 who regularly visit both MySpace and Facebook spend more time on these sites than users who visit just one site or the other. In August, those dual Facebook/MySpace users spent 26 percent more time on Facebook – or 93 minutes per month - than did the average Facebook-only users, who averaged just 74 minutes.

And similarly, those nondiscriminate social networkers spent 20 percent more time on MySpace – or a whopping 398 minutes - than the site’s exclusive users, who averaged 331 minutes. “Teens who enjoy social media are intensive users and highly engaged,” said Jason Lee, media analyst, Nielsen//NetRatings. “They are venturing onto multiple networks to experience new features and broaden their connections.”

A large portion of the social networking community jumps back and forth between different sites, found Nielsen – particularly teens. For example, 80 percent of Facebook visitors in August also visited MySpace. “Teens continue to interact with friends on MySpace, but have not hesitated to follow their peers to the latest social networking brand. At this point, each site has a unique offering, and teens are happily visiting both.”