As Facebook Raises a $Billion IPO, A Profile of Its 'Friends'

By Sara Kehaulani Goo,

For years, the Pew Internet & American Life Project has been polling people who use social media, asking how they use it and what they get out of it. The results paint an interesting picture of what kind of people use sites such as Facebook, who they are connected to and how they manage their privacy.

As Facebook prepares for its IPO, we've curated a picture of Facebook ‘friends,' with some data points, charts and salient facts.

Our surveys have found these behaviors among Facebook users:

• On average, users make 7 new Facebook friends per month; they initiate 3 requests and accept 4.
• Women average 21 updates to their Facebook status per month while men average 6.
• In a month, about half of our sample made a comment on a friend's content, and about half received a comment.
• Fewer than 5% of users hid content from another user on their Facebook feed.

image for Pew

Facebook, on an Average Day:

15% of Facebook users update their own status.
22% comment on another's post or status.
20% comment on another user's photos.
26% "Like" another user's content.
10% send another user a private message.

facebook stat

Characteristics of Facebook Users

• Facebook users are more trusting than others. A Facebook user who uses the site multiple times per day is 43% more likely than other internet users and more than three times as likely as non-internet users to feel that most people can be trusted.
• Facebook users have more close relationships. Someone who uses Facebook several times per day averages 9% more close, core ties in their overall social network compared with other internet users.
• Facebook users are much more politically engaged. Compared with other internet users, and users of other social networking platforms, a Facebook user who uses the site multiple times per day is an additional two and half times more likely to attend a political rally or meeting, 57% more likely to persuade someone on their vote, and 43% more likely to have said they would vote.
• Facebook users get more social support. A Facebook user who uses the site multiple times per day receives more emotional support and companionship offline (such as having someone help you when you are sick in bed.)

Facebook, Social Networking and Privacy

Social networking users, including Facebook users, are becoming more active about pruning and managing their accounts. Women and younger users tend to unfriend more than others.

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As Facebook Raises a $Billion IPO, A Profile of Its 'Friends'

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