London, May 24: A new study conducted by consumer research group Intersperience has revealed that social networking sites certainly do not allure people aged above fifties in the UK as they have fewer than 20 friends on Facebook whereas people in twenties have more than 1,000 friends on the same site.
The news has come just when Facebook’s second-in command, Sheryl Sandberg, is visiting the UK to deliver a speech on how the social web has transformed people’s friendships and relationships, at the London School of Economics.
The survey found that there was a clear link between people’s age and the number of online friends they have. The researchers found that those aged 13 to 16, have an average of 450 friends on social networks, with girls having slightly more friends than boys. People in their thirties mostly have between 100 and 200 friends, while those in their forties have between 50 and 100.
“Our research underlines fundamental changes taking place in British society as a result of finally entering the digital age,” the Telegraph quoted the Intersperience’s chief executive Paul Hudson as saying.
“Social networking activity is just one example of how different groups are adapting to the digital age at different paces. In this case, age is the determining factor — however in other instances it is not. Our research shows consumers are regrouping on different lines, with a willingness and ability to master technology emerging as a key factor in determining how well individuals adapt to the digital age,” he added.
–Agencies