A study carried out by online advertising network Chitika highlights that over 28 per cent of all Twitter traffic goes to news sites, with movies, technology and gadgets and medical sites following in the popularity stakes.

Chitika's researchers categorised the sites that get links from the social networking tool, finding that tech sites make up 33 per cent of Facebook's referrals.

Representatives for the online ad network attribute the study's results to Twitter's "unique ability to bring information instantly to large numbers of people".

"From being the first to publish pictures of a Turkish Airlines plane crash to the social network's breaking of US Airways Flight 1549's dramatic crash into the Hudson River earlier this year, Twitter's instantaneous and collaborative nature has made it out to be the bleeding edge of all news," they continue.

Analysts suggest the results can be explained by Twitterers' main aim of acquiring knowledge, while Facebook users are more concerned with keeping up with the latest fashions and gadgets.

Last week, Google revealed that Twitter updates will feature in its search results.