FACED! Older demo hits the ‘book

With yesterday’s launch of a “Marketplace” feature, behemoth social networking site Facebook has officially kicked off its quest to dethrone Craigslist as the Internet’s go-to destination for old sofas and no-strings-attached sex. But users in Radar‘s office have noticed another change in the website of late: a swell in friend requests from older, often British users. Bizarre trend or bizarre anomaly?

Data provided by Facebook validates the anecdotal evidence. With over 1 million registered users—and a growth rate several times higher than that among American users—the UK, along with Canada, maintains the largest international presence among Facebook users. (Other countries in the top 10: Norway, India, and, most curiously, Egypt and Lebanon.) The increase in older users is also documented: the 25- to 34-year-old demographic represents the fastest growing segment of the 100,000 some-odd registrations the site receives each day.

No word yet on whether the older demographic is cruising for coke.