New Ericsson study underpins continued relevance of social networks
According to an Ericsson study, the number of users and the average time spent on social networks continues to rise. However, mistrust is also on the rise: Around 60 percent of all users are concerned about their personal data.
Social networks on the wane? Not at all. According to the latest Ericsson ConsumerLab Insight Report, the exact opposite is the case: both user numbers and the average time spent on social networks continue to rise. While in 2014 there were 1.3 billion active monthly users who spent an average of 30 minutes per day on Facebook Inc. social platforms, i.e. Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, by 2018 there were already 2.5 billion who spent an average of 47 minutes per day on the same networks.
However, the growing popularity does not exclude the growing mistrust: over 50% of respondents have already come into contact with "fake news" and are aware of this problem. More than 60 percent of users are also concerned about their personal data. These developments contribute significantly to the ambivalent future prospects of social networks: although 60 percent of participants estimate that their social media use will increase in the future, 4 out of 10 users also think that excessive consumption will be judged negatively by others.
The study published on Wednesday by Ericsson ConsumerLab considers the following Six key findings fixed:
1. social networks are far from over
Despite the recent increase in negative reporting, for example in the context of data protection scandals, social networks have by no means reached their peak. Over 3 billion people currently use at least one social network on a regular basis. Between 2014 and 2018, the average time spent on social networks worldwide increased by almost 60%: from 30 minutes per day in 2014 to 47 minutes in 2018.
2. short lifespan of social media brands
Of the 10 most popular social networks in 2008, 5 no longer exist and only 2 are still among the most popular platforms in 2018. Facebook still leads the list of the most popular brands, but both the growth in user numbers and the growth in time spent on the site are currently slowing down and even declining in some countries.
3. will social networks suffer the same fate as smoking?
Social networks now have an increasingly negative reputation. 30 percent of US and UK consumers surveyed refused to say how much time they actually spent on social networks and just under 7 in 10 think their friends do the same. 4 out of 10 users believe that excessive consumption is judged negatively by others and 70 percent think that excessive use of social networks is unhealthy.
4 "Fake news" undermines trust
More than 50 percent of US and UK consumers surveyed confirmed that they have read news on social media that later turned out to be false, and just under one in four admitted to sharing articles that later turned out to be "fake news". Less than one in five trust the information they read on social media.
5. consumers want the role of the publisher back
Almost 70 percent think social media companies should ensure that no false content is spread on their platform and more than half are in favor of social networks being held legally liable for "fake news". 3 in 5 believe that social media companies should hire employees to review content; 40 percent want artificial intelligence to take over this task.
6 Social networks are part of the social infrastructure
Although consumers are now sharing less content, social media services have become an integral part of their lives and will therefore not be completely abandoned. Around one in five believe that in five years' time they will be getting more of the news they consume from social networks.
About the study
In September 2018, 2,600 smartphone users from the USA and UK took part in an online survey. Respondents were between 16 and 65 years old; their views articulated in the survey are representative of 100 million advanced smartphone users from these market segments. In addition to the online survey, data from ConsumerLab's analytics platform was used and complementary face-to-face interviews were conducted in Brazil, Japan, Sweden, the US and the UK. Data from the Annie app was also used as part of this study. The Android data from the Annie app on smartphone data consumption and usage is obtained from a large, global database of real users and supplemented with additional, proprietary data.
The entire study is available at the following link: Ericsson.com.
