The segmentation, from Kantar Media’s TGI Clickstream study, looked at social media connections and engagement of adults and identified six groups of social media users.

The largest group were Social Spectators; they tend to be older and have less spending power. They are relatively disengaged although they have a respectable number of connections.

About 10% of the population are classed as Online Experimenters. This group are potentially valuable for brands to target as they are both engaged and have purchasing power. Connected Engagers account for just 3% of all social media users but they have the highest level of connections and influence but lack the spending power.

Connected Dabblers, account for about 10%. The company said they “follow brands on social media but are less likely to post reviews about products or brands. They are engaged but less influential than Connected Engagers.” Passive Socialites have a high level of connections but don’t follow brands or post reviews, so their influence is low; about 4% of the population fall into this segment.

The final group are called Credible Contributors; they account for 22% of the population. They have an average level of connections and engagement, and are highly likely to follow brands and post reviews online.

Richard Keogh, head of Kantar Media TGI UK, said: “This new segmentation provides crucial insights into the level of engagement and influence that social media users have online. The different segments show that clicks and connections alone will not reveal consumers’ actual engagement levels.”

He added: “Marketers should review who they are targeting online to ensure they are directing their social media activities (and marketing budget) at the most appropriate audience. Marketers need to look beyond widely accepted metrics to specific evidence of engaged online activity to determine how valuable consumers are.”