Does Twitter have an engagement problem?
A new study from the Pew Research Center finds 49% U.S. adults on Twitter qualify as “lurkers.”
The Pew Research Center defines lurkers as infrequent tweeters who have posted fewer than five tweets per month since they first opened their accounts.
Also, when lurkers tweeted, they were more likely to reply to someone else’s tweet than to tweet their own.
The data is part of a companion study released in November by the Pew Research Center, which found that the vast majority of tweets were posted by a small number of highly active users.
By contrast, Twitter’s least-used users make up the majority of its U.S. adult user base.
This paints a picture of Twitter as a site full of content posted by a small group of users that is consumed by a large portion of users who don’t add to the conversation.
Let’s dig into the data to learn more about Twitter lurkers. Here are the highlights of the study.
Most Twitter lurkers are between 30 and 49 years old
The study found that Twitter lurkers are mostly older Americans.
In uncommon tweeters, 59% of users are between the ages of 30 and 49, an age group made up of Millennials and Generation X.
Gen Z and younger millennials are more likely to be active on Twitter because only 14% Users between 18 and 29 are considered lurkers.
By contrast, the 18- to 29-year-old age group is the majority of Twitter’s most frequent tweeters.
See the chart below for a comparison of tweeters that are used frequently and tweeters that are not used frequently, broken down by age.
The Pew Research Center noted that there were no significant differences between lurkers and more active Twitterers on factors such as gender, party affiliation, education or race.
Lurkers visit Twitter less often
Lurkers visit Twitter less frequently than more active Twitter users – twenty one% say they visit the site every day, with 55% More active tweeters.
further, 38% of infrequent tweeters say they visit weekly or daily, while 41% Say they only visit a few times a month or less.
Twitter lurkers are more receptive to other viewpoints
Lurkers are more interested in discovering other perspectives than sharing their own.
The study states:
“When asked if they use the site to express their views or see what other people are saying, 76% of lurkers say they use the platform primarily to see what others are saying. Only 6% use it primarily The platform expresses its opinion.”
In uncommon tweeters, 13% said finding other views was the main reason they visited the site, with 5% More active tweeters.
The main reasons lurkers use Twitter is for entertainment and information.
Lurkers post more replies than original tweets
reply composition 51% compared to lurker tweets 30% More active tweeters.
Interestingly, retweets from lurkers make up a smaller percentage of posts than retweets from more active users.
Screenshot from: pewresearch.org/fact-tank, March 2022.For more insights on Twitter lurkers, see comprehensive learning.
Featured image: Nikita Burdenkov/Shutterstock
