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If you're not down with social networking sites, then you're in a shrinking minority. According to a new report from the Pew Research Center, some 73 percent of online adults now use a social networking site of some kind.

It's no surprise that Facebook is still the most popular social networking platform, but the report noted that a "striking number" of users are branching out to other services like LinkedIn and Pinterest. At this point, 42 percent of online adults use multiple social networking sites. Moreover, users of Facebook-owned Instagram are nearly as likely as Facebook users to check in to the site on a daily basis.

The report was based on a survey of 1,801 adults, age 18 and older, conducted in August and September. It's important to note that it doesn't offer a comprehensive look at all the social networking sites people use. The researchers did not ask about YouTube, Google+, Tumblr, Reddit, or Vine, for instance.

Overall, a full 71 percent of online adults said they use Facebook, up from 67 percent last year. Meanwhile, 22 percent use the business-focused social network LinkedIn, while 21 percent use Pinterest, 18 percent use Twitter, and 17 percent use Instagram.

While Facebook is popular across a mix of demographics, other sites have gained a following among certain groups. Women are four times as likely as men to use Pinterest. LinkedIn is popular among college grads and Twitter and Instagram are particularly appealing to younger adults, urban dwellers, and non-whites, according to the Pew survey.

The data also indicate that many users don't let a day go by without checking out Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Sixty-three percent of Facebook users visit the site daily, with 40 percent checking in multiple times a day. Similarly, 57 percent of Instagram users and 46 percent of Twitter users are daily visitors.

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Report: Big Majority of Adults Embrace Social Networking

Facebook remained the most popular social networking destination among U.S. adults, but users are also turning to other websites for their daily social fix .

Social networks are used by 73 percent of U.S. users above the age of 18, according to a study released on Monday by the Pew Internet and American Life Project on Monday. The study was based on 1,801 adults interviewed from August 7 to Sept. 16 this year.

Facebook was the dominant social networking site, boasting an audience of 71 percent of online U.S. adults, growing from 67 percent late last year.

While Facebook was a universal favorite, some 42 percent of online adults used multiple social networking sites, the study said. Pinterest attracted women, Twitter and Instagram were heavily used by young adults, African Americans and city dwellers, and LinkedIn was favored by college graduates, older users and high-income households.

Usage of all Facebook alternatives grew, according to the survey. LinkedIn was used by 22 percent of U.S. adults online, Pinterest by 21 percent, Twitter by 18 percent and Instagram by 17 percent.

The engagement levels varied, with 63 percent of Facebook users visiting the website at least once a day, and 40 percent visiting multiple times. Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, had 57 percent of users visiting once a day and 35 percent logging in multiple times. Around 46 percent of Twitter users visited at least once, and 29 percent multiple times.

Once viewed as a social networking platform for college students, Facebook is now attracting a larger number of Internet users aged 65 or more, according to the survey. Facebook is used by around 45 percent of U.S. Internet users aged 65 or more, growing from 35 percent late last year.

Twitter and Instagram are becoming more popular among African Americans and users aged 18 to 29. Around 34 percent of African American Internet users in the U.S. adopted Instagram, growing from 23 percent last year. The site was used by 37 percent of users aged between 18 and 29, growing from 28 percent in the comparable period last year.

Women are four times as likely as men to be Pinterest users, the survey said. Pinterest was used by 33 percent of women and 8 percent of men interviewed for the survey.

The Pew survey does not include information related to usage of sites such as Google+, Tumblr, Reddit and Vine.

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Facebook tops US social networking charts, but users diversifying

In 2013, social networking took on a whole new meaning and became a veritable beast, hard to tame. For those who share their personal life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, or all of the above, the internet has made it possible for anyone to keep track of them and vice versa. With new social networking platforms appearing from behind every corner, it may be hard for one to decide where to commit time and resources. As 2013 comes to an end, it's important to look ahead to where social networking is going, and how we can get on board.

Investment in social media will become a necessity

Arguably, investing time and resources into a social media strategy was a necessity in 2013 but it is believed that the tipping point in public sentiment from 'should have' to 'must have' will occur in 2014.

Businesses are already coming to terms with the need to integrate their social media efforts with their content strategy, and are seeing the impact of social media in terms of reach, referral traffic, and revenue. Seeing these very real and measurable benefits, there would be a change from social media tasks being assigned to existing employees to companies hiring social media strategists or full-time social media managers.

The benefits of social media are many and include company branding, improved brand awareness, and increased customer loyalty and trust. Social media is also one of the three pillars of SEO.

Google+

While Facebook continues to lead the pack in terms of number of active monthly users (1.15 billion at last count), Google+ is quickly gaining steam and now has the second highest number of monthly users (343 million).

With Google using the platform to collect personal information (demographics, location, etc.), Google+ should no longer be thought of as 'just' another social network. It's increasingly proving itself to be an integral part of Google's grand scheme in terms of SEO, social signals and providing a more personalised search experience. This is especially apparent with the growing importance of Google Authorship, which most likely would be one of the key components to Google's search ranking algorithm by the end of 2014.

Businesses who are finding themselves spread thin with their social media efforts will increasingly turn to Google+ as the closest thing to a 'one-size-fits-all' social network.

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Nigeria: Top Social Media Networks That May Dominate 2014

News

By Agam Shah

December 31, 2013 11:13 AM ET

IDG News Service - Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify the survey results.

Facebook remained the most popular social networking destination among U.S. adults online, but users are also turning to other websites for their daily social fix.

Social networks are used by 73 percent of online adults in the U.S., according to a study released on Monday by the Pew Internet and American Life Project on Monday. The study was based on 1,445 adult Internet users interviewed from August 7 to Sept. 16 this year.

The full survey sample totaled 1,801 adults over age 18. The margin of error was plus or minus 2.9.

Facebook was the dominant social networking site, boasting an audience of 71 percent of online U.S. adults, growing from 67 percent late last year.

While Facebook was a universal favorite, some 42 percent of online adults used multiple social networking sites, the study said. Pinterest attracted women, Twitter and Instagram were heavily used by young adults, African Americans and city dwellers, and LinkedIn was favored by college graduates, older users and high-income households.

Usage of all Facebook alternatives grew, according to the survey. LinkedIn was used by 22 percent of U.S. adults online, Pinterest by 21 percent, Twitter by 18 percent and Instagram by 17 percent.

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Facebook tops U.S. social networking charts, but users eye other sites, too

WASHINGTON, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Nearly three-quarters of online adults now use a social networking site of some kind with Facebook the dominant platform, a survey found.

Seventy-three percent of Americans over age 18 on the Internet use at least one social network, the Pew Internet & American Live Project said in a release Monday.

However, a significant number of users are now diversifying onto other platforms and about 42 percent of online adults hop on multiple social networking sites, the survey found.

While Facebook is the preferred network, used by 71 percent of online adults, platforms such as Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Twitter are making gains, Pew said.

Facebook use rose from 67 percent a year ago.

Facebook and Instagram drew high levels of "user engagement," with a majority of users checking in on a daily basis, the survey indicated. Facebook owns Instagram.

The report is based on telephone interviews with 1,801 adults age 18 and older conducted Aug. 7 to Sept. 16. The margin of error is estimated at plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.

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Social networking up in U.S., Facebook leads in total numbers