96% social networking

That’s 96% of US teens and tweens, participating in a social-networking site at least once a week, according to a study by teen market researcher Alloy Media & Marketing. “Youngsters are now spending nearly as much time online as they are watching television, and many multitask,” Alloy found. “However, they’re four times more likely to be concentrating on what they’re doing online than on what’s happening on the television.” Parents may also be interested to know how these young social networkers respond to marketing, according to the survey. It needs to “enhance or facilitate their social-networking experience,” offer them tools for self-expression, e.g., widgets to enhance or customize blogs or profiles. As for the huge 96% figure, in her latest paper on the social Web, danah boyd suggests that the percentage of US teens who are “truly active” in social sites “is more like 50%” (see my feature next week for more from danah).