In the World of Social Media, Women Rule


Source: Shutterstock

I recently published a detailed survey and analysis of the demographics that define the most popular social networks. While I shared the overall data for general review, there were a few interesting observations that were extracted by Information is Beautiful, Mashable, and Next Web that certainly inspire conversations and reactions.

The point of interest that’s worth review and discussion is that in Social Media, women rule.

Facebook:
Male: 43%
Female: 57%

Delicious
Male: 48%
Female: 52%

Docstoc
Male: 41%
Female: 59%

Flickr
Male: 45%
Female: 55%

Myspace
Male: 36%
Female: 64%

Ning
Male: 41%
Female: 59%

Twitter
Male: 43%
Female: 57%

Upcoming.org
Male: 45%
Female: 55%

Ustream.tv
Male: 34%
Female: 66%

Yelp
Male: 43%
Female: 57%

InformationisBeautiful.net lives up to its name with its translation of my research into this stunning infographic:

Connect with Brian Solis on:
Twitter
, FriendFeed, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Plaxo, Plurk, Identi.ca, BackType, Posterous, or Facebook

Have you bought the book or the poster yet? (click below to purchase):


Share/Bookmark
  • DavieAlvin
    The statistic is interesting, but it only shows women feel the need to communicate more than men. It's easier for them to express their feelings, their states of mind, even though they exaggerate a bit, sometimes. I had a friend which twittered she's got herself a blue wig, for example. I guess they are less selfish and don't mind sharing their happiness with others. Indeed, as said before me, women rule in every field. They show us communication in a relationship does matter.
  • Yes I found the stats very interesting too, this is what I make of it http://www.siliconbeachtraining.co.uk/blog/why-women-rule-social-media/
  • Of course! Woman like to gossip, always be informed, share news. Men tend to be less sociable,
    it is more difficult for them to switch from one task to another, they prefer to talk straight.
  • alicestars
  • Very interesting post. I have linked to it so that the chicks on our site can celebrate :)

    But seriously, interesting results but the fact that so many people are using any of those networks is brilliant and that the results are actually really close. Thanks for a great report.

    Cheers
    Leigh
  • Unfortunately not the whole world - inspired by the post of InformationisBeautiful.net I compared US, UK and Germany for 6 Social Networks and got a different picture :( http://tr.im/ANyo
  • shalimar
    hey girls, i know it is a pride moment for you to know that you are leading men in every field. Now, time to prove.
    Can any nice, sexy and pretty lady willing to lead an AH and SOB?
  • shalimar
    I am glad that women are out numbering in all the fields. Can some nice lady wants to lead me too?
    Must be sharp, smart and pretty and most important must be nice. I am a nerd sob and she needs
    to handle such an ass hole. Excuse me for the language.
  • Clemence Ko
    Wow. Looks like Social Media would need a new tagline - Social Media: The Women Connection Era. It looks like marketers around the world need to buck up and study the "Ways of Marketing to the Ladies". Thanks a lot for sharing.
  • Carmen
    Hi Brain, this's Carmen, a PR from Hong Kong. Nice survey!
    A quick question - by saying "in social media, women rule", do you have any findings on how they "rule" the online discussion, like, how they influence the trend & tone & style of online discussions, topic of discussion, and even the way people talk & share online.
  • livemercialsarah
    Great research...I never would have guessed that females outnumbered males on almost all of the social networking sites. I want to read more about these trends now!
  • SocialSplash
    .......OK

    The results are in - on our social network at - http://socialsplash.com

    matriarchy - 65%

    patriarchy - 35%

    (sorry boys.....)

    Power to the girls!!
  • Yes, I'm pretty suprised. I knew women were outnumbering men in Twitter, but not in the other social media. Good news.

    Kabel
  • Name
    These statistics that show women are on social networking sites more than men is not surprising. Women generally tend to be more social than men. Therefore it makes sense that they would be using social networking sites to communicate and converse with others more than men. The one thing about this data that is surprising is that the percentage of men using these social networking sites is not much less than women. So it seems that social media and social networking sites typically reach both male and females even though there are more females on these sites.
  • kingstony
    Yeah, and whilst you girls are fritting away your empty lives on facebook et al, men are out doing proper work.
  • my husband and I just had this conversation yesterday. I'm curious to know if those numbers reflect regular users of social media, or includes everyone that has an account. And, yes, chicks *do* rule!
  • No surprise to me. I have been here since the early days of online (c 1994) - back when it was a way for young, white, males with a lack of social skills to think they were interacting with the opposite sex ;-)

    I know that in general women are better conversationalists, better listeners, better networkers. Plus they look better in their profile pics :)

    I do wonder though, if the stats above are taking into account the number of fake female spambot accounts created to lure the aforementioned blokes, into clicking spam links etc...
  • Brian, but you knew this, right?!
  • :)
    This is not really a surprise.
  • Just hit SocialMeidan with this: Not really surprising, though. Men are "too cool" for socializing. They're the silent, mysterious loners. They thrive in places like the wild west.

    Online, they repel the Facebooks (and Twitter? Really?) of the world and opt for solo rogue blogs, which may be why Digg, which is lame, is mostly male.
  • Very interesting stats...
  • Brian, fun post! I guess all the men are too busy playing fantasy football or playstation.

    Eric
    http://onlinemediaanalyst.com/
  • anandaleeke
    Brian, Thanks for posting this data. I love it. I am going to refer to it in one of my articles for my DC Social Media Examiner on Examiner.com. I love your blog!
  • There's such a major part to this equation that is totally being left out.... Women are on social networks relating, sharing, conversing, collaborating more often with men. I'd like to see some stats regarding the woman -> woman ratio vs the woman -> men ratio.
  • by the way... you could include virtual worlds into the social network scene. Second Life, for example has approx 65% women.... but most of us just think it's all men posing as women.... who knows.
  • maryannm
    Yes, but you "guys" aren't that far behind in many cases, which is just as interesting. Face it, you really do like to talk almost as much as the girls!! You just needed a tech. tool to nudge you along!! Either that or you're good as long as it's 140 or less...
  • Dee
    Well, of course we rule~
  • Hey we posted about it too! (http://thenextweb.com/2009/10/03/females-males-social-networks-surprise/) Not significant enough just yet huh...Don't worry that's soon to change. :] Great research btw.
  • Thank you! Added to the post...
  • hey...thanks Brian. I didn't quite expect you to do that, but very much appreciated all the same.
blog comments powered by Disqus

ABOUT ME

Brian Solis is globally recognized as one of the most prominent thought leaders and published authors in new media. A digital analyst, sociologist, and futurist, Solis has influenced the effects of emerging media on the convergence of marketing, communications, and publishing. He is principal of FutureWorks, an award-winning New Media agency in Silicon Valley, and has led interactive and social programs for Fortune 500 companies, notable celebrities, and Web 2.0 startups. BrianSolis.com is among the world's leading business and marketing online resources.

RECENT TWEETS

FLICKR FEED

  • New York Times: Darryl Siry, Newsbasis - photo by Brian Solis
  • Sheraton Sao Paulo WTC Hotel: Club A
  • DigitalAge 2.0: Brian Solis Interview with MTV
  • Sao Paulo Brazil: Tribuna Especial