Social media 'has become more attractive to older women'

15:00 11th December 2009

There has been a "dramatic increase" in the number of female over-50s using social media sites.

According to a report by pollsters SheSpeaks, participation among this age group rose from 31 per cent in 2008 to 70 per cent this year.

Overall, Facebook was found to be more popular than Twitter, while the use of MySpace fell from 63 per cent to 42 per cent.

Meanwhile, ten per cent more girls are using social media sites in 2009 compared to data compiled in 2008.

Longevity and loyalty was also a factor of the research – it was found 25 per cent abandoned Twitter soon after signing up.

Looking into retail purchase decisions, 50 per cent of respondents revealed that they had bought the product on the strength of hearing about it on a social networking site.

Founder and chief executive officer of SheSpeaks Aliza Freud suggested females have become more comfortable with using these types of platform.

"Facebook serves women's need to interact with friends and share photos, while Twitter has become a tool that is primarily used for professional networking and learning about up-to-the-minute news, promotions and deals," she explained.

Earlier this month, Geoff Galat, vice president of marketing and product strategy at online customer experience management company Tealeaf, suggested brands can use social networking sites to fan the flames of criticism.