“We know from Pew Research Center surveys that 22% of U.S. adults use Twitter. But surveys can only tell us so much about how these Americans actually use the platform. A new Pew Research Center study goes a step further. First, we asked survey respondents whether they use Twitter and, if so, for permission to look at their Twitter accounts. After reviewing each account, we quantified these Americans’ tweets, likes, followers and followings. The result is the Center’s first study of Twitter behavior that’s based on a representative sample of U.S. adults who use the platform.

Among U.S. adults, Twitter discourse is dominated by a small share of tweeters. The most prolific tweeters – those in the top 10% by number of tweets – are responsible for 80% of all tweets created by U.S. adults. That includes all types of tweets: original tweets, retweets and quote tweets…”