Sprout Social, a social media software solution, published its Q1 2017 social media index. This index provides insight into how users from different generations use social media.
Of great interest is the stark difference in social media platform preferences by generation. The favorite across Millennials, Generation Xers and Baby Boomers is Facebook. But while the preference for Facebook is extensive for Gen Xers and Boomers, Millennials preference is only slight.
- 2% of Baby Boomers and 64.7% of Gen Xers prefer Facebook
- 33% of Millennials prefer Facebook, with Instagram coming in second place at 22.2%
- YouTube is the second-most preferred network for Baby Boomers and Gen Xers, but the divide there is wide (according to Sprout Social’s research, “Facebook is 54% more popular than YouTube” for the Gen X crowd)
Sprout Social also highlighted how likely users are to interact with their favorite brands on social media.
- 32% of Gen Xers and 30% of Millennials engage with brands they follow on a monthly basis
- Only 14% of Baby Boomers engage with their favorite brands
Learn more about social media preferences and activities by generation by viewing the full Q1 2017 Sprout Social Index.
