Facebook passed an important milestone this week…it now has over 500 million users. David Armano at Logic + Emotion posted some interesting stats that were compiled by Marta Kagan, and a few of them are mind-boggling. For example, the population of Facebook. To help you put it in perspective, Facebook’s population lags only behind China and India. Facebook users spend 500 billion minutes on Facebook each month. That is equivalent to just under 1 million years!…each month. And here’s an interesting stat: one-third of women aged 18-34 check Facebook when they first wake up—even before going to the bathroom.
Over at YouTube, 24 hours of video is uploaded every minute. Each day 2 billion of those YouTube video are viewed by people who apparently are taking a short break from updating their fb status.
And no doubt you’ve heard of Twitter. The average number of “tweets” per day is 27 million. It took LeBron James only 7 hours to amass his first 150,000 Twitter followers. Lady Gaga has over 5 million followers, by the way. She celebrated her milestone by posting the following tweet: “Here’s to monsters, music, and 5 million of my closest friends! Cheers! I officially declare this institution ‘Tweeterland'”!
Lady Gaga’s 10 million Facebook “friends” is also a record…and slightly more than the 130 friends that the average Facebook user has. But no one wants to be average… so if you have 130 or fewer friends on Facebook, get out there and get busy. Oh, and if you’re looking for love, you’ll be happy to know that social media is the new place to meet your potential mate. One in six marriages last year were between people who met on social media sites. That’s more than twice the number who met at bars, clubs and other social events combined!
I don’t know about you, but this makes me want to log off and go for a walk!
I 100% agree with this. Social media is addicting. When I’m bored I’ll log on to facebook and just look around at everyones stuff that most of the time is garbage anyway but you never know when you’ll find a funny post or something. Even on my smart phone playing apps and connected to social media some how. Personally I don’t have a Twitter but I know thats a huge thing to do on your phones as well. I’ve seen a lot of people just zone out from their lives and spend prolonged periods of time looking at the same statuses and feeds they’ve seen already in hopes to find something new or something they missed. Since college I have tried to cut down my facebook and other social media time in order to be more productive and feel better about my real life and I would say it’s worked. It still is a major killer of time though when nothing else is happening and I would encourage people to take a break from the internet and go out and do something and together we can better our lives.
It is amazing to learn how much time people actually spend on social media websites. I believe facebook, twitter and other social media websites are taking over other people’s lives since we are spending so much time on them. Im sure these stats have only gotten higher since this blog is almost two years old. It is crazy how many friends some people have on facebook, but in reality they probably only talk to about maybe half of them. It also interesting to learn that a lot of relationships are being from social media sites in today’s world with all the technology that is being used. Even though facebook can be a fun way for friends and family members to communicate, it also causes a lot of drama. Teens, especially girls, are constantly having drama going on in facebook.
Those are definitely interesting stats about social media content. During that read I found myself relating it to my personal life which I didn’t think would happen when I read the title. Within the article there’s two stats that I related to which was “an interesting stat: one-third of women aged 18-34 check Facebook when they first wake up-even before going to the bathroom”. I’m guilty of this because I check Facebook/update before I go to bed and I do the same when I wake up right away subconsciously. Social media has me under a hold and I can’t seem to break it unless it’s finals week. Being on the internet and searching Facebook keeps me online for hours, I sometimes log off but within minutes I find myself back online. Then the second stat mentioned stated that “if you have 130 or fewer friends on Facebook, get out there and get busy”. When first getting a Facebook I found the need to find elementary friends, middle school friends, those whom I’ve worked with etc. Around my junior year of high school I had almost 2,000 friends and that’s when I had to truly have a reality check. I don’t need that many friends, and even though I knew majority of them I didn’t talk to them. So that’s when I went on a deletion spree and went down to roughly 476 friends whom I speak to on an everyday basis just about. But social media is taking over and sadly I’m a victim of it.
Face book, now twitter and it used to be MySpace aka the devil in my eyes are the fastest growing social network places in the worlds. I call these networks the works of the devil because they do much more evil then good. A girl can post a comment about another girl at school so cruel and vulgar and have people at school like it and this could ruin someone’s life. It happens all the time and now even in their own blogs on other websites about certain people you don’t like. These social networks that I speak of have some many friends, followers, ect that anything can be found on them and we give up all of this information to our “friends” for free. We are allowing the government and others into our personal lives for what? Why don’t you pick up a phone call the person you are sharing’s all this information with on the phone instead of on the net where anyone can read it at any time. This is a matter of security people.
Wow, I knew the statistics were high but that is crazy and since this post is a year old the numbers have to be substantially higher. I know that me personally, I find myself on facebook quite a bit. Sometimes 5-6 times a day because it is so interesting and addicting. I have recently found myself making myself scale back because it sometimes gets in the way of things i need or should be doing. I would say that Facebook, Twitter etc. have become a sort or epidemic in society and so many people gravitate towards them without even realize. It has become a habit and a learned action to younger generations and I don’t think that it will be long before having a Facebook, Twitter etc will be a requirement for jobs or possibly part of the school curriculums.
Facebook, and the media in general is extremely addicting. I am in fact addicted to Facebook, I find myself on it most of the day without even noticing. I also have noticed a lot of my friends are on Facebook a lot. We socially interact with people through Facebook, twitter and emails, when it use to be physical interaction with your friends, now its just through a computer. There isn’t a way to stop this social media addiction, because technology keeps increasing and consumers keep coming up with new technology for us to buy.
Social Media really isnt being SOCIAL at all. People need human interaction, and it seems as though they are getting it by hiding behind a screen and calling that life. It is very sad that people can no longer hold up a conversation when standing face to face with another person. Many people are so insecure with themselves that they have to pretend to be someone else over the internet. I have never experienced Twitter, which I think is pointless.Why should I care if a celebrity just threw up or just bought a $10,000 purse? People need to experience life outside of other people’s lives, and learn to meet people in the REAL world. Step back from the computer, put some clothes on, and go out and actually socialize. Trust me, its a lot more meaningful.
I find it funny how I am required to log in to facebook to make this post. I don’t find the above statistics very suprising at all. We are now living in a technology friendly world, where pretty soon everything will involve some form of technology. Are there better ways to spend our time than on social networks? Sure. However, like our ancestors used the printing press to communicate world wide, this is the new updated for of mass communication. Facebook allows users to communicate with people all over the world through a simple chat window (instant message) free of charge. Who wouldn’t want to do that? The site helps keep our interest and keeps us connected with people all around the world. Lol but yeah, log off every now and then and go for a walk or out to the bar, feel free to live a little, don’t let your life become a virtual reality.
Is there really any way to stop social media? I think not for some this is what they live for, they have nothing to do all day but surf facebook and tweet all day. To me its pretty pathetic. There is so many other things that can be done while one is sitting at the computer all day on facebook. People could spend more time with there children then they would have to wonder why he or she is acting out at school, and Students in school could actually get some work done. Can one even say that social medias such as facebook and twitter stimulate their minds? if this is possible I need to engage in this form of social media as well, because i find my piece through relaxing and spending time with freinds and family not looking at a computer screen all day.
Facebook and other social networks are taking over people’s lives. I used to have a myspace account and once I heard about facebook I thought I would make a page for that as well. I was mostly into myspace but than over the year that facebook had came about, it started to be more popular than myspace and other social networks. I stopped using my myspace account and was always on facebook. Facebook is a great way to keep in touch with family and friends that you don’t get to see very often. I don’t have many friends on facebook because I am “picky” at who to add as a friend. I add family and I add friends who I never had a problem with. Some people I went to highschool with are trying to add me as a friend and I decline there request because I was never a friend of theirs in high school and just because we went to school together doesn’t mean we were friends. Also some people try to add me as a friend that were mean to me throughout school and I also decline their request, I think why should I add them as a friend when throughout school they were always mean to me. I think people just want to see what’s going on in that person’s life today, and in order for them to see what’s going on they have to be a friend.
After reading all of these statistics I’m not surprised at all that the social net work has become something much bigger than we could ever really realize. I can tell that people all over the world just want to be connected to their family, close friends, and even make new friends as a result of the social sites making it extremely easy to make new friends. I like facebook myself and imp just as guilty but I feel like that we could use a break from our technology sometimes and take a step back to realize all the things around us that we take for granted every day. The fact that everything can be at the tip of our fingers all day everyday due to the smart phones accessibility, this makes it possible for Facebook, Twitter and You Tube to expand and grow without sign of stopping because we love our Technology.
I have to agree with the ending note of this. Get out of your house and away from your computer and be sociable. It surprises me how many people have to check their facebook more than once a day just to see if anything has changed from their friends. When it first came out and was still something new, I could kind of understand people’s hype about it but now it is almost an obsession. Checking your facebook first thing in the morning is something I find a bit extreme. Even though we are a heavily involved community in communications throughout the internet, we should never lose ourselves in it entirely. We still have to be able to function as normal people in society and be able to interact in a person to person basis or else we will lose more than we could possibly gain through the internet
This to me is no surprise, I believe that I fall into this category myself. I do not think I am as bad as the facts that were presented up above, but social media is a huge part of my daily life. Not a day goes by that I dont check my facebook, e-mail, or anything else internet related. People really should get out more and actually interact with people rather than spend so much time on the internet but its totally unrealistic in today’s day and age. Everything that we do involves technology and if you aren’t “up to par” then you are out of the loop and because no one wants to be out of the loop the craziness surrounding social media is only going to continue.
Wow… I was shocked by most of those numbers. I cannot believe the amount of time people spend on Facebook, twitter, or any other social networking site. I believe that more people should go out in the world and meet people, instead of meet people over the internet. I have many friends that have met their sole mate on a social networking site, so I am not saying it is bad to find the one online. All I am saying is that I believe that if people in the world continue to communicate through the internet they will lose communication skills. I believe that getting on social networking sites is fine, when it is done once a day. What could change between the minute you wake up and the minute you go to bed? Plus if you are going to wake up and check the social networking site anyway I don’t see the purpose in checking it before you go to bed. Also I don’t understand why someone would check it more than once a day. Now that I am done rambling I can talk facts. The numbers shown above are facts, and if you really sit down and think about it, you may realize that you are spending more time on the computer than in the real world. I believe its fine to get on Facebook or follow someone on twitter, however I also believe that you can check both of those websites once a day, and go on with your life not constantly thinking about Facebook. The main point is that I think people all over the world are getting their faces glued to the computer screen, and at times cannot pull themselves away. That cannot be healthy.
This article isn’t surprising to hear but it is a little sad.Everyone I know has a facebook,including family and teachers.I find myself getting lost in it,constantly posting new things,and constantly checking it from the morning I wake up to the time I go to bed.It’s quite addicting and continues to be a phenomenom around my peers.
If there was something that was more addicting than Facebook,it would be Youtube indeed.Once you find a clip you like or something someone asked you to look up,it’s too easy to go from clip to clip,getting lost in time.It’s strange how much it’s become a part of our lives but it makes complete sense.Both social media outlets have connections with the world and connections with ourselves.We post and share things that we like and enjoy finding and being shared something that interests us.It’s like our inner world within the real world.I still prefer picking up a guitar,sharing things I like in person,and the traditional face to face.But I can’t say Facebook doesn’t make it alot easier.
Facebook is so addicting. I do agree with what Melissa said about competition. Many people have 1000+ friends because the more the merrier. I just have facebook to reconnect with old friends and family members that I do not get to see on the regular basis. Sometimes I even vent on facebook, its the perfect therapy. People give you positive and negative feedback. It’s a nosy person’s paradise…you get to see what is going on in everybodies lifes.
I am such an addict to Facebook. I am one of those people who check it when I first get up. I have 241 friends, and I know all of them. However, I’m a pretty shy person when I’m not behind the computer. I spend the majority of my computer time on Facebook (even when I’m doing homework). I don’t know what is so addicting about it, I just like “liking” and commenting on everyone’s status’. It’s also a way to get to know people better.
Being someone that doesn’t have a facebook, it really makes me wonder why others seem to feel that having a facebook is so important. I know its to keep in touch with old frineds, but couldn’t image being on the internet at all for more than 1 hour. I do think that majority of facebookers are in competition with themselves to improve on friends, the more the marrier. Its crazy to think that someone could keep in touch with over a million friends and why would you want to take the time. Even if I had a facebook I probaly wounldn’t be friends with anyone I didn’t talk to on a regular basis.
My mom recently decided to delete her account because she wasn’t getting anything done. Ha! Made me think about deleting mine. Alas, I didn’t. There are far too many old and new friends on there I’d like to keep in touch with. What’s funny, is as I’m writing this, I keep clicking back to my Facebook window when a notice comes up. It’s an amazing tool, with endless possibilities.
to me this just seems to be another form of social evolution, to be fair there is an obviously lazy and leisure applications for this new form of media consumption, but at the same time it is helping us to be more creative, communicate with each other more effectively, and for the most part establishing that there is no ceiling to how far innovation can go, just as long as you get people to follow along with your said innovation.
On October 1, the movie “Social Network” is going to hit theaters and it is all about Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. The first time I saw the preview for the movie I looked over at my girlfriend and said “I can’t believe they would make a movie about Facebook, but I really want to see it.” She agreed. The movie will probably make millions of dollars easy and you know why? The advertisement begins with giant pictures and statuses on Facebook being “liked” and commented on…it then fades into a picture of Mark Zuckerberg. The first 30 seconds of the film advertisement hooks all those who have ever used facebook in, and then after that it fades into very short clips of the actual film before the movie title comes on screen: “Social Network”. Would a movie like this have worked with Myspace? Would it have had such a massive appeal even just a year ago? Seeing the statistics posted pertaining to the amount of Facebook users its no wonder why a “biography of Facebook” is being made…Social Media is like Cocaine and everyones trying to find a way to get there fix.
Like the others im sure as soon as you saw the word “Facebook” it totally grabbed your attention; well i know it grabbed mine pretty fast! when you actually think about it the internet is really like a drug to most. Looking at this article its quite shocking to be honest to know that not only it it just our society but its a world wide problem. I believe that social networking is not a bad thing but i do believe as well that it is being totally abused and overused. Our society is constantly complaining about how overweight everyone is but the problemis obvious to me.
I read this blog entry a few times and I am still blown away. The facts are staggering. Who would have thought Lady Gaga had that many friends? How does she remember all there names?!?
There 500 million people on facebook. The nunber is even more impressive when you think there are only 308 million people living in the U.S.! I know it was spoke of in class, but the YouTube thing still blows me away too. 24 hours evey min. I once thought of it as a cool, almost underground means of getting unknown artist and videos out there. It still serves that purpose, but it is also used by the industry to promote and push popular culture.
Social Networking sites have taken over the spot light. There addictive qualities are that of early TV and radio. People cant get enough. They cant take there eyes and ears off of them. People check Facebook every day, like they used to check the news. Because this is “their news”. A personlized account of whats happening to the people in “their world”. Social networks provide quick accuss to content and people (I hesitate to say friends, because most people don’t have 130 good friends, they may know a 130 people, but friends??)
Social media is here to stay until the next big tech comes along and makes it a thing of the past. You might say thats, “Matt thats not going to happen”. Well page me when it does, I will email you back, or just meet me in a chat room. Until then Im going to make some Jiffy Pop and watch Tron on Laser Disc.
This is unbelievable. When I was reading through these topics, this one definitely caught my eye faster than any other. I like Facebook a lot, and I probably spend too much time on it, but I did not seriously realize how big it is globally. This three-headed monster of Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter has taken over the world! There is even a movie coming out about Facebook. What astounds me the most, is how fast this all came about. I remember just 6 short years ago, when I was barely using my facebook and rarely watched a Youtube video, and Twitter had not even been introduced yet. The fact that these three social media outlets have taken flight this fast is amazing. Also, I must admit I enjoy it. I really do. Seeing what people are up to and talking to friends this easily is awesome. There are so many good things that it does, in terms of connecting friends and family. Now, there is horrible things that come from these outlets as well. This topic interests me so much, because it just sparks so many people’s interest from all around the world. I love learning about the new statistics and where all this social media is going in the now and in the future. I do agree though, on the other hand, that reading this does make me want to shut off my television and computer, and go take a walk.
It is true that people spend a lot of time on the Internet. I myself log onto Facebook, and do not find myself leaving it for about 20 minutes to 3 hours at a time. Facebook (and the Internet) is very addicting, simply because there is so much information, regardless of its importance or relevance. Posting a status; commenting on one; liking a status; liking a page or subject. The Internet truly is a Grand Central Station of information. However, it is interesting that people spend so much time on the Internet, whereas 25 years ago the only addicting social medium was television. There is the possibility that the computer is now the “lighted box”. But people cannot encounter their potential future mates on the television. That’s why the Internet is different–it is an interactive and collective social meeting place, and one which (again, unlike television) information is not only accessed, but submitted. It is phenomenal that more people now meet their spouses and friends due to this social medium, through its networks (Facebook, Myspace, Twitter) unlike truly physical meetings with people in the past.