Was 2009 really the year of Twitter? Certainly many social media trend watchers thought so. The Global Language Monitor announced that it was the most popular word in English-language  media in 2009, and Mashable.com boldly stated, “It’s hard to argue that 2009 wasn’t the year of Twitter.” Well, I would, in fact, like to argue that just a little bit.

Twitter certainly has made an impact, but I would question Mashable’s assertion that Twitter is “used by regular folks, not just tech-savvy geeks.” In fact, I think this is precisely what Mashable gets wrong about Twitter. Recent research from the Pew Internet & American Life project on status updating shows that, by late 2009, 19% of US adult internet users were using Twitter or another service to send status updates. This compares to 11% in December of 2008. While this does represent a significant increase, it is important to put the rise of Twitter and status updating in perspective. If Pew’s data are any indication, it seems more accurate to argue  that 2009 was the year of social networking sites (SNSs): As of late 2009, 46% of adult internet users use an SNS, up from 35% in December 2008. Facebook, particularly, has been the beneficiary of much of the increase in SNS use: Pew reports that 73% of adult SNS users have a Facebook account, compared to 48% with a MySpace profile and just 14% with a LinkedIn account. In terms of demographics, SNS users now look like regular internet users, with just a slight skew towards younger users. So in fact, it seems wholly appropriate to say that social networking sites are now used by regular folks, not just tech-savvy geeks (or college students).

The growth in SNS usage may in fact account for some of the rise in status updating. Pew notes that they asked about using “Twitter or another service” precisely because status updating can take place through a variety of platforms, some of which can be linked together. For example, FriendFeed can send updates to your Facebook profile, your Twitter account, your blog, or other services. Right now it is unclear how many status updaters are using Twitter alone or in conjunction with other services.

It is clear from the Global Language Monitor’s findings that Twitter was a very popular topic of discussion in 2009, but I’m not sure it’s wise to equate that discussion (much of which took place in the media and among the tech-savvy) with usage by “regular folks.” Going back to the Pew research shows that status updaters look a bit more like early adopters: they are younger than the average adult internet user, are more likely to be wireless/mobile, and more likely to have multiple devices. They are also more likely to be SNS users. And although it is true that Twitter’s web traffic did increase dramatically in 2009, it is also true that many of those visitors are not themselves Tweeting.

So a more nuanced version of Mashable’s assertion might be that 2009 was the year Twitter got noticed. But in terms of usage, 2009 was the year social networking sites went mainstream.