Analysts: Social networks used to find old friends, not new ones

Adults and teens alike use social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace more so to stay in touch with old friends than to make new ones, according to a new report by analyst group Pew/Internet.

Pew's study also found that the number of online adults with a profile on a social network site has more than quadrupled since 2005, from 8 percent back then to 35 percent today.

Yet the younger the adult, the greater the likelihood of social network use. A total of 75% of online adults aged 18 to 24 have a social network profile, in contrast to 57% of 25- to 34-year-olds and merely 7% of those aged 65 and older. Overall usage statistics were about the same for men and women.

Also according to the survey, use of MySpace is still most prevalent on the whole, with 50% of adult social network users maintaining profiles on that site, as opposed to 22% for Facebook and 6% for LinkedIn.

However, the analysts found some differences in demographics among the people who use the top three social networks.

"Facebook users are more likely to be men and to have a college degree. The median age of Facebook users is 26 years old. LinkedIn users are more likely to be men, to be white, and to have a college degree. The median age of a LinkedIn user is 40 years old," according to the report.

Only 49% of adult users leverage social networks to make new friends, whereas 89% use them to keep up with existing friends and 57% to make plans with existing friends, the respondents said, with multiple answers permitted.

Similarly, 49% of the online teens surveyed use social networks to make friends, and 91% to stay in touch with existing friends.

Teens, though, are much more likely than adults to use social networks for making plans with friends, with 72% of the teens giving that answer.

Other reasons cited for using social networks included organizing with other people for an event; issue or cause; flirting with someone; "promoting themselves or their work;" and making new business contacts. When online adults do use social networks for both personal and professional reasons, they often maintain multiple profiles, typically on different social network sites, the analysts said.

Released today, the report is based on surveys conducted by Pew Research from April 8 to May 11 and November 19 to December 20, 2008.