Considering the short history of the social web, it’s hard to remember the enormous change announced just eight years ago. That’s when Facebook stopped being available exclusively to users with a .edu e-mail address.
With that obstacle removed parents and grandparents surged into the cyberspace frequented by college-aged students and alums. And although the barrier is down, companies need to keep in mind that the generations reach the social web in very different ways.
Part 8 of Untangling the Social Web, the new study from the Coca-Cola Retailing Research Council of North America, clearly identifies a wide disparity of methods used to access the social web.
For example, shoppers over the age of 45 are most likely to access the social web through a computer. They use laptops or desktops around 67 percent of the time and mobile phones about one third as often. That contrasts sharply with 18-24 year olds who use computers and smartphones equally.
Businesses should consider these usage patterns when designing visuals and planning the best way to convey messages via social media.
Part 8 of Untangling the Social Web may be downloaded for free at www.ccrrc.org.
Michael Sansolo
Research Director
Coca-Cola Retailing Research Council of North America
www.MichaelSansolo.com