Niche.com Survey Reveals Class of 2014 Ranks Facebook, Pandora and Netflix on Top

YouTube wins most widespread usage and Instagram most engaged users

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Jun 18, 2014, 11:00 ET

PITTSBURGH, June 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Niche (http://niche.com), a community-driven network for choosing schools and neighborhoods, has released a survey of the technology and media usage of more than 7,000 Class of 2014 high school graduates. Students ranked 50 popular apps and websites based on frequency of usage.

"The goal of this survey is to highlight the role technology plays in high school seniors' daily lives and the behaviors they'll bring to college campuses this fall," says CEO Luke Skurman. "Our company helps millions of students choose their college each year, which gives us an inside perspective on the habits of this demographic."

The results reveal new insights in the way young people consume technology and sheds light on the tech companies that are gaining and lacking the attention of tomorrow's influencers.

Five key findings include:

Facebook still reigns: 87% of students report using Facebook. Instagram claims the top spot for the most engaged user base.
YouTube, Netflix and Pandora dominate rich media consumption. Amazon Prime, Hulu, Spotify and Beats all lag considerably.
High schools seniors aren't reading top websites. While Buzzfeed led the pack, 73% reported not visiting the site and only 6% visit daily. Mashable and Gawker clock in the lowest positions, with 96% of seniors never visiting the sites.
The "Messaging War" is very competitive. Facebook Messenger is most widely used, Snapchat is most addictive, yet Google Chat garners low usage.
Anonymous app usage is very low. 97% of seniors don't use YikYak and 95% don't use Whisper. On the opposite end of the spectrum, graduates aren't yet interested in building a professional network to find a college or internship, with 92% of graduates not using LinkedIn.

View the full results of the study.

About Niche
Niche is transforming the way people make big life decisions. By providing insight and analysis from everyday experts, we make choosing a college, K-12 school, or place to live a more transparent process. From our founding in 2002 as College Prowler to our coverage on more than 250,000 schools and places, Niche's rapidly expanding presence continues to empower users to find their niche and thrive within it. For further information, visit http://www.niche.com.

SOURCE Niche