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“Are you on Facebook?”

Even though social media use has become more and more prevalent among users, there has been little insight into exactly who they are and what they like. Until now. According to a new survey by Anderson Analytics, the kind of social media you like or use the most can say a lot about you. For instance, LinkedIn users are mostly male and watch more soap operas, while Twitterers are more interested in sex. And it doesn’t end there.

The study evaluated the demographics and psychographics of 5,000 social networkers and non-users to find out whom and why people use social media. It helps marketers and other companies understand a particular user’s interests, buying habits, media consumption and more.

So why is this important? Businesses can use this information as a navigational tool for social media campaigns. It allows companies to understand who they’re interacting with on Twitter or Facebook and can help them use it more effectively.

According to the survey, 110 million Americans, accounting for 60% of the online population, use social networks. Instead of counting everyone, the study used people that have been on social media at least once in the past month. The results show that users spend a lot of time on social networks, with the average user going to a social site five days a week. The average user also checks their favored social media site four times a day, for around an hour each day. Of these users, 9% stay logged in all day. That’s a lot of customer service potential.

The top 3 interests of social networkers included music, movies and hanging out with friends. Most use social media to keep in touch with family, friends and classmates. They do more online, such as watch videos, read blogs, and make purchases, and are more likely to make comments in a discussion forum. Below is a breakdown of the type of user on some of the most popular social media sites.

Facebook users are more likely to be married (40%), white (80%) and retired (6%) than users on other social networks. They have the second-highest income ($61,000) with an average of 121 connections. And while most of them are a little older and tend to adopt social media later on in life, they are very, very loyal: 71% say Facebook is their favorite site, and 59% have increased their use in the past month.

Twitter users are the super users and the go-getters. They are the most interested in several subjects, including news, restaurants, sports, politics, religion, finance, music, movies, TV and reading. They are also more likely to buy books, shoes, movies and cosmetics online. Twitterers also use the service more to promote their blogs and businesses, are employed part-time and drink coffee (31%). Their average income is around $58,000, with 28-30 followers. They are, however, a little weak on the loyalty side: 43% say they could live without Twitter.

Although MySpace is rapidly declining, they still have 67 million users. Most users, however, say they are using the site less and less over the last 6 months. MySpace users post most often about hobbies or share pictures of friends and family. They are more likely to be into entertaining friends and playing video games, and they get the least amount of exercise out of users on other social networks. They have the lowest income ($44,000), and are more likely to be black (9%) or Hispanic (7%). They are also more likely to be single (60%) and students (23%).

Understanding the different types of social media users can strengthen any company’s use of social media. We strongly encourage every company to incorporate some kind of social media into their marketing campaign. Click here for help to get started.