(September 2010) A study from M/A/R/C Research surveying more than 10,000 U.S. consumers who had dined at one or more quick-serve restaurants during the past month (including burgers, chicken, Mexican food, pizza, sandwiches and/or seafood), found that 1/3 of fast-food diners didn't use any social networking sites, but this group included patrons over the age 54.

Among younger, social media users, 59 percent reported using Facebook, followed by YouTube (22 percent), MySpace (20 percent), Twitter (13 percent), blog sites (5 percent) and "other" social media sites (6 percent), according to M/A/R/C.

Facebook users skewed female, at 54 percent, while YouTube users skewed male (62 percent). About 59 percent of those using social media reported using these programs on a daily basis, versus 27 percent accessing them weekly, 8 percent monthly and 6 percent on rarer occasions.

More than half deemed social media not at all important or not very important (29 percent and 26 percent, respectively). Those who consider social media somewhat important included 23 percent of respondents, followed by 13 percent at very important, and 9 percent at extremely important. Those who considered social media important skewed male.

When it came to using social media for fast-food restaurant searches, online ordering and other uses, 57 percent said they use them to find coupons, 48 percent to learn about menu items, 45 percent to find locations near them, 41 percent to read reviews by other customers, and 39 percent for comparing prices with other restaurants. About 70 percent said it's extremely or very important for these fast-food restaurants to offer such services through social media platforms.

According to similar research by J.D. Power and Associates, teens (ages 14 to 18) and early careerists (ages 22 to 29) are most apt to discuss restaurants on social media platforms, followed by Gen Y moms. Among Gen X moms and Boomers, the predominant theme of discussion centers on the family-friendliness of restaurants.