New research suggests that most Americans are well aware of Twitter … they’re just not using it.

According to an Edison Research/Arbitron study, Twitter awareness in the U.S. among people 12 years old and older is at 92% — that’s up from 87% a year ago.

But adoption is a different story; the Edison/Arbitron study estimates Twitter usage at 8% of all Americans 12 and older. That number matches the Pew research a few months ago that pegged Twitter usage at 8% of all US Internet users.

The data underscores Twitter’s challenge: how to increase regular adoption in a social world that continues to be dominated by Facebook. Twitter has made several improvements over the years in helping users find new accounts to follow and has a guide for businesses, too. CEO Dick Costolo recently spoke about the company’s desire that Twitter be “instantly useful. It needs to be simple.”

Related Topics: Channel: Social | Stats: Popularity | Twitter

About The Author: Matt McGee is Editor-In-Chief of Search Engine Land. His news career includes time spent in TV, radio, and print journalism. His web career continues to include a small number of SEO and social media consulting clients, as well as regular speaking engagements at marketing events around the U.S. He blogs at Small Business Search Marketing and can be found on Twitter at @MattMcGee and/or on Google Plus. You can read Matt's disclosures on his personal blog. See more articles by Matt McGee

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