Two-thirds of adults have never heard of twitter

Despite the growth of the microblogging service two thirds of adults know virtually nothing about it according to new research.

In a new LinkedIn Research Network/Harris Poll of 2,025 adults, 69% of adults say they don't know enough about Twitter to comment on it.

And of the people who do know about it only 12% think it will grow, while the same proportion think it is only for young people (note to self - must stop twittering I am too old), while 8% think twitter is passé and are waiting for the “next big thing”.

The survey also questioned 1,015 advertisers, 50% of whom expect Twitter to experience “significant growth” in the coming years, while 20% believe it is just for the young and not “mass market” and 17% don’t know much about it.

Despite the cynicism it is reported that Twitter has generated almost $50m of free publicity in just 30 days with TV, newspaper and magazine coverage estimated at £48m (£29m) -which may not make it mass market but does make it a major player.