Facebook Dominates Social Sharing While Twitter Sees a Decline

Facebook continues to lead the pack when it comes to social sharing activity, according to a newly released ShareThis report based on data from the fourth quarter of 2014.

In its latest sharing trends report, ShareThis analyzed sharing behavior of more than 2 million U.S. consumers across more than 3 million sites and mobile apps. It found that during the fourth quarter of last year, a staggering 81 percent of social shares came from Facebook, up 8.2 percent from last January. In comparison, sharing activity on Twitter, Pinterest, and Reddit declined 3 percent, 0.6 percent, and 0.7 percent, respectively.

Image Credit: ShareThis

“Facebook is a basic social media outlet, while the other channels, like Twitter, Pinterest, and Reddit, have become outlets for niche interests,” says Michalene Becker, manager of strategy and analytics at ShareThis, noting, however, that Pinterest is the leading channel for food and drink and beauty and fitness content.

Indeed, the report indicates that social users share different content on each platform. While shares about beauty, food, and shopping are most common on Pinterest, health-related content is more likely to be shared on Facebook, and sports have become the dominant conversation-driver among Twitter users.

Because of this, it’s likely Twitter will see a boost in sharing activity during the Super Bowl, but Becker suggests marketers should pay attention to other social channels as well.

“It’s important for marketers to leverage all social channels when aligning content with the Super Bowl. Twitter is a reactive channel and we see a jump in activity within two to three days of an event. Meanwhile, Facebook tends to be a dominant platform for discussing major updates in the weeks surrounding major events,” she explains. “Also, keep in mind that consumers are engaging with the advertisements and entertainment, not just the game.”

ShareThis’s report also reveals that as of last December, mobile surpassed desktop to generate approximately 66 percent of browsing and sharing activity. And mobile engagement doubled since January of last year.

To learn more, request the report from ShareThis.

Homepage image via Shutterstock.