Over the years, Twitter evolved from just another social media platform to a powerful tool when it comes to digesting news. Heck, we even use Twitter to complain about service delivery, with the obligatory tag of a big-name brand.
The US study found that Twitter users are younger, highly educated, and earning higher incomes when compared to the general US population. Twitter’s netizens were more likely to identify as Democrats.
About 36% of the Twitter users interviewed identified as Democrat, compared to the 26% of adults from the general public who identify as Republican.
Different sets of values
The two groups also differed in their opinions on political values with regards to race, gender and immigration. According to research conducted by Pew, 66% believed that immigrants would strengthen the US. About 62% said existing barriers in society make it harder for women to get ahead.
Compared to the general public, only 57% believed in the benefits of immigration. Moreover, 56% felt that societal barriers are holding women back.
The research shows that only 64% of the focus group believed that white people were treated more fairly than other sectors of the population. That is compared to the 54% of the general public who agreed with that statement.
In addition, the study found that the median user in the top 10% by tweet volume created more than 130 tweets per month, “favourites” 70 posts per month, follows approximately 456 accounts and has on average 387 followers.
With TheSouthAfrican.com
TOP IMAGE: Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
