Mobile Social Media Access Grows: Facebook Tops, says comScore

comScore reported that 72.2 million Americans accessed social networking sites or blogs on their mobile device in August 2011, an increase of 37 percent in the past year.  Methods of access included the mobile web and apps. Facebook was the most accessed social media site followed by Twitter and LinkedIn

The study also found that more than half read a post from an organization, brand or event while on their mobile device.

Nearly 40 million U.S. mobile users, more than half of the mobile social media audience, access social media sites almost every day.Research also indicated that although more people accessed these sites via their mobile browser, the social networking app audience grew five times faster in the past year. While the mobile browsing social networking audience grew 24 percent to 42.3 million users in the past year, the mobile social networking app audience surged 126 percent to 38.5 million.

A look at selected social networking brands, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, revealed that each grew their mobile audiences by at least 50 percent in the past year.

Facebook was home to the largest mobile audience among the three destinations with more than 57 million mobile users in August, up 50 percent from the previous year. Twitter saw its mobile audience jump 75 percent to 13.4 million people, while LinkedIn’s mobile audience climbed 69 percent to 5.5 million users.

 Of those accessing social networking sites or blogs on their mobile device in August 2011, 80.3 percent read posts from people known personally, while 69.5 percent posted status updates while on their mobile device.

Mobile social networkers also were likely to interact with brands on these sites with more than half (52.9 percent) reading posts from organizations/brands/events. One in three mobile social networkers received a coupon/offer/deal, with one in four (27.7 percent) clicking on an ad while on a social networking site.

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