Twitter's news junkies are younger, more educated
Computerworld - Nearly one in 10 U.S. adults, or 8%, say they get some of their news through Twitter, and that has to be a good sign for the social media company that's days from launching its IPO.
Twitter users also are younger, more apt to use mobile devices and more educated. However, more than 30% of Facebook users say they get some of their news from the world's largest social network.
The figures are from a report by the Pew Research Center, in collaboration with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
Twitter has been high in the news in the last several weeks as the micro-blogging site prepares for its initial public offering, which is expected to launch Thursday. Company executives have been criss-crossing the country on their pre-IPO roadshow, meeting with major potential investors.
On Monday, it was reported that Twitter bumped up its initial stock price range from $17 to $20 per share to $23 to $25 per share.
According to the Pew study, of the 16% of U.S. adults who say they use Twitter, 52% say they get at least some of their news from the site.
The study is based on a survey of more than 5,000 U.S. adults, which included 736 Twitter users and 3,268 Facebook users. It also included a three-year study of tweets about major news events.
The study also found that 85% of Twitter users get news, at least sometimes, on their mobile devices. On Facebook, 64% of its users get their news on the site via a mobile device. Having a strong presence in the mobile market is key as Internet users move away from the desktop to devices like smartphones and tablets.
The Pew study also found that that 45% of users getting their news via Twitter are 18 to 29 years old. On Facebook, the number of users in the same age group getting news from the site was 34%.
On top of that, only 2% of Twitter's news consumers are 65 and older.
The study also found that 40% of users who get their news from Twitter have at least a bachelor's degree, compared with 30% of Facebook's news consumers.
This article, Take that, Facebook! Twitter's news junkies are younger, more educated , was originally published at Computerworld.com.
Sharon Gaudin covers the Internet and Web 2.0, emerging technologies, and desktop and laptop chips for Computerworld. Follow Sharon on Twitter at 
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