Everyday Tweeple.

Via Business Insider via TNC, we learn that Twitter is used disproportionately by black folks. Twenty-percent of Twitter users are black; about 13% of the U.S. population is.

BI tries to suss out some reasons why that may be the case.

  • Black people (and Hispanics) are much more likely to access the Internet from mobile devices. Twitter is well-suited to mobile use, and its users are more engaged with the mobile Internet than the general population by a wide margin.
  • More black than white celebrities are active Twitter users; Shaquille O’Neal, Oprah, 50 Cent, and P Diddy are all among the most followed accounts on Twitter. That’s great publicity for Twitter, and could be helping Twitter become more mainstream among black people.
  • The median age for black Americans (according to the 2000 census) is 30 years old, a full seven years younger than for white Americans. Black people therefore make up a relatively higher percentage of the population within the most relevant age groups — Twitter is most popular amongst 25-34 year-olds.
(Also: if you’re on Twitter, you can follow PB and the extended fam here.)
G.D.

G.D.

Gene "G.D." Demby is the founder and editor of PostBourgie. In his day job, he blogs and reports on race and ethnicity for NPR's Code Switch team.
G.D.
  • All I can say is that on a daily basis, at least one TT makes me SMH, hard. And it’s usually one filled with black children that almost certainly should know better.

  • trackstre

    Agreed.