A new study from online reputation company Rapleaf indicates that there are still huge divides in social media demographics. It probably isn't a surprise to read that in their database of 49.3 million users, the dominant demographic is still the 14-24 year olds, even with an increase in older users.

The key points from the study:

"- 120 million social network profiles (total) were found, with each person averaging 2-3 social networks

- Women and the 14-24 year old demographic are more likely to use Myspace and Facebook than other demographics (the 14-24 year old demographic represents 65.5% and 66.25% of total users respectively)

- Men and the 25-34 year old demographic are more likely to use LinkedIn and Flickr than other demographics (the 25-34 year old demographic represents 51.0% and 38.1% of total users respectively)."

In evaluating the age demographics, they noted that MySpace user numbers tend to peak at the age of 17-18 and then fall off, leading to the assumption that many use MySpace until they graduate from high school, then move on to Facebook, which has a peak at 18-19. It's no surprise that professional social network LinkedIn sees its peak much later, at about 27-28.

Paired with a previous study the company conducted, Rapleaf concludes that women spend more time on maintaining social relationships, which explains why there are more women on MySpace and Facebook, while men spend more time on transactional relationships, tending toward sites like LinkedIn and Flickr.

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