Taking a Longer Look at Logging In

With the ubiquity of the Internet and the tremendous amount of constant traffic that is ongoing, everyone has numerous accounts for all of the various websites that require credentials. So just what are the tendencies and preferences of Americans when it comes to logging in? Let's take a brief look into what different people do when faced with the "log in to continue" prompt.

First, Some Numbers

According to research from WebHostingBuzz, 77% of all users believe that logging into a website using their social media credentials is a good thing. This makes sense, because most people really don't want another username (and password) to remember. Delving even further into the numbers, there is a direct correlation between a user's age and how likely they are to prefer using social login: 

• For those between the ages of 18-25: 38% of users preferred social login.
• For ages 26-35, that number decreases to 33%.
• Between the ages of 36-50, still lower at 19%. And finally,
• Those 50 years old and older: just 11%.

So, Which Social Media is the Most Popular?

It will probably come as no surprise, but Facebook is the most popular social media login tool across the board. This is true across all of the following industry segments: Media, Consumer Brand, Entertainment and Gaming, Music, and Retail. Just recently (the 3rd quarter of 2014), Google and LinkedIn edged out Facebook in the B2B segment.

What This Data Means

Logging in using social media credentials translates into a wealth of analytical data for the website that uses these methods. For example, when applying for a job, a fair amount of online applications will ask you to use your LinkedIn profile to fill some of the pertinent information. When you accept this question, the website for the job you are applying for gains access to all of the information on your LinkedIn profile. This translates into a treasure trove of analytic information. 

Social login is a relatively easy method that is used by many different websites. It's appeal seems to trend toward the younger generation. In any event, the information that is disseminated automatically provides valuable analytic feedback to the host website. For the rest of us casual Internet users, it just means one less username and password to remember!