More Teens Are Creating and Sharing Material on the Internet (continued)

Social network sites affect teens' lives in other ways beyond providing space for content creation and feedback. For many teens they are now an integral part of the system of communication that they use to conduct the work of their lives. Fully 41% of the teens who use MySpace, Facebook or other social network sites say they send messages to friends via those sites every day.

The Pew Internet report also highlights a new segment of "multi-channel" teens. These teens are super-communicators who have a host of technology options for dealing with family and friends – traditional landline phones, cell phones, texting, social network sites, instant messaging, and email. They represent about 28% of the entire teen population and they are more likely to be older girls.

These super-communicator teens have all kinds of interactions with their friends at levels equal to or greater than other teens, including face-to-face visits and phone chats via traditional landlines. And as with all teens, email is selected only as a last resort to stay in touch with friends.

"Access to social networks and cell phones has opened up new channels for today's teens," said Mary Madden, Senior Research Specialist and an author of the report. "New technology increases the overall intensity and frequency of their communication with friends, with email being the one glaringly uncool exception in their eyes."

Asked about the communication they have every day with their friends, the multi-channel teens say:

• 70% talk daily with friends on a cell phone
• 60% send text messages daily
• 54% instant message
• 47% send messages daily over social network sites
• 46% talk to friends on a landline phone
• 35% spend time with friends in person daily
• 22% send email every day to friends

Apart from the super-communicators, cell phones have a significant impact on communication choices among teens. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of teens now have a cell phone and for teens who have them, they are the premier communication method for talking with friends. Among teens with cell phones, 55% say they use them to talk with friends every day.

About the Pew Internet & American Life Project: The Pew Internet Project produces reports that explore the social impact of the internet. Support for the non-profit Pew Internet Project is provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts. The Project is an initiative of the Pew Research Center. The Project's website: http://www.pewinternet.org