Study: Facebook dominates American's time online

Americans spend a lot of time online, but a new study shows many Internet users go to social networking sites the most.

A Nielsen study released this week shows that during May 2011, Americans spent more time on Facebook than any other website. Americans totaled 53.5 billion minutes on the site during the month.

Facebook’s popularity isn’t limited to college students any more — the study found that Internet users more than 55 years old are driving the growth of social networking through their mobile applications. Nearly 40 percent of social media users access social media content from their smartphones, according to the study.

Facebook is not the only site getting traction. Social networks and blogs account for nearly a quarter of total time spent on the web, according to study. Tumblr is emerging as a major player in social networking, nearly tripling its audience from a year ago, the study reported.

While social networks may dominate Americans’ browsers, the study says many people who use social media also shop online. About 70 percent of active online adult social networkers also shop online, which is 12 percent more likely than the average adult Internet users.

To view the full study, click here: http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/social/

Below is Nielsen's break down of the demographics of social network and blog viewers in the United States. Click on the graphic to view the study (Note to mobile users: Open in a browser to view the image).