{"id":10747,"date":"2019-04-24T09:59:20","date_gmt":"2019-04-24T14:59:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/%year%\/%monthnum%\/%day%\/key-takeaways-from-our-new-study-of-how-americans-use-twitter\/"},"modified":"2024-04-14T03:12:30","modified_gmt":"2024-04-14T08:12:30","slug":"key-takeaways-from-our-new-study-of-how-americans-use-twitter","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2019\/04\/24\/key-takeaways-from-our-new-study-of-how-americans-use-twitter\/","title":{"rendered":"Key takeaways from our new study of how Americans use Twitter"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We know from Pew Research Center surveys that<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2019\/04\/10\/share-of-u-s-adults-using-social-media-including-facebook-is-mostly-unchanged-since-2018\/\"> 22% of U.S. adults use Twitter<\/a>. But surveys can only tell us so much about <em>how<\/em> these Americans actually use the platform.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2019\/04\/24\/sizing-up-twitter-users\">new Pew Research Center study<\/a> goes a step further. First, we asked survey respondents whether they use Twitter and, if so, for permission to look at their Twitter accounts. After <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2019\/04\/24\/sizing-up-twitter-users-methodology\">reviewing each account<\/a>, we quantified these Americans\u2019 tweets, likes, followers and followings. The result is the Center\u2019s first study of Twitter behavior that\u2019s based on a representative sample of U.S. adults who use the platform.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are some highlights from the study:<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>\n<figure><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2019\/04\/24\/key-takeaways-from-our-new-study-of-how-americans-use-twitter\/ft_19-04-24_twitter_alargemajorityoftweets\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-313668\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/FT_19.04.24_Twitter_Alargemajorityoftweets.png\" alt=\"A large majority of tweets come from a small minority of tweeters\" width=\"310\" height=\"273\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<p>Among U.S. adults, Twitter discourse is dominated by a small share of tweeters. <\/p><\/strong>The most prolific tweeters \u2013 those in the top 10% by number of tweets \u2013 are responsible for 80% of all tweets created by U.S. adults. That includes all types of tweets: original tweets, retweets and quote tweets.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Most U.S. adult Twitter users don\u2019t engage much<\/strong><strong>.<\/strong> The median Twitter user posts two tweets a month, favorites one tweet a month, follows 89 accounts and has 25 followers.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The most prolific tweeters among U.S. adults are especially likely to be women<\/strong><strong>.<\/strong> Among the most prolific tweeters \u2013 again, those in the top 10% by number of tweets \u2013 65% are women. Women account for 48% of less prolific users.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><!--more--><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beyond its findings, the study also provided us with some new methodological insights into studying Twitter use:<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Combining survey data with social media data gives us a more complete picture. <\/strong>Surveys typically only tell us things like <em>who<\/em> uses Twitter (older vs. younger people, for example, or college-educated versus those without a college education) or <em>what <\/em>they use the platform for (reading the news, for instance). Tweet analyses, meanwhile, usually only tell us <em>how<\/em> the platform is being used (how many tweets are sent each day, for instance). By combining survey data with Twitter account data, we can learn more about how particular groups of people use the platform in a more detailed way than survey data alone allows.<\/li>\n<li><strong>\n<figure><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2019\/04\/24\/key-takeaways-from-our-new-study-of-how-americans-use-twitter\/ft_19-04-18_twitterusers\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-313667\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/FT_19.04.18_TwitterUsers.png\" alt=\"Survey and social media data show a similar pattern when it comes to tweeting\" width=\"310\" height=\"311\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<p>Self-reported Twitter use generally matches up with how frequently people actually do tweet. <\/p><\/strong>The most prolific tweeters are much more likely than other users to say in surveys that they use Twitter every day. Accessing these Americans\u2019 actual tweet data lets us quantify how prolific daily users tend to be.<\/li>\n<li><strong>We can begin to study whether the ideas people express on Twitter are associated with their opinions outside of Twitter. <\/strong>The study\u2019s approach allows us to compare attitudinal data collected in surveys with the sentiments those same Americans are expressing on their Twitter feeds.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can read more about the report\u2019s methodology <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2019\/04\/24\/sizing-up-twitter-users-methodology\">here<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Our first study of Twitter behavior based on a representative sample of U.S. adult users explores Americans&#8217; use of the 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