Swiss teenagers love Snapchat, Instagram and Pinterest

The smartphone is the most heavily used electronic device in Switzerland. Just under three-quarters of the total population aged 15 and older use an internet-enabled cell phone every day. For young people, the smartphone is the number one information and communication device. At 98 percent, virtually all young people aged 15–24 use a smartphone daily. As smartphone use rises, desktop computers and tablets are slowly losing ground. Only television sets and radios reach more people overall than smartphones. This trend is highlighted by the IGEM-digiMONITOR 2017 survey, conducted in collaboration with WEMF.

TV content is used on all devices, but the TV set remains the favoriteFour out of five people aged 15 and older go online every day. Two-thirds listen to the radio or watch TV every day. Among young people, virtually all (98%) use the Internet daily, and just under half watch TV or listen to the radio every day. Radio and TV programs are consumed wherever there is a screen, speakers, and reception—including on computers, smartphones, and tablets, as well as on radio and TV sets. However, the traditional TV set remains the favorite way to watch TV. 82% of people who watch TV on multiple devices prefer to use a traditional TV set for this purpose.

Streaming services such as Spotify and Netflix complement traditional media When it comes to listening to music, streaming services such as Spotify are very popular with young people. Around half of young people use such services at least occasionally and one in three even use them daily. In the population as a whole, only 10 percent listen to streaming music every day. Music streaming is particularly popular in French-speaking Switzerland. The much-cited Netflix also finds its audience primarily among young people. 37% of them use Netflix at least occasionally. In the population as a whole, the proportion of Netflix users is not even half as high. In contrast to virtual reality, smartwatches and music streaming, Netflix not only overcomes the divide between the two sexes, but also the divide between the sexes. The use of Netflix only depends on age: the younger the user, the more likely they are to use Netflix - regardless of whether they are in French- or German-speaking Switzerland, male or female.Snapchat and Instagram leave Facebook far behind among young people, Pinterest is growing the fastest WhatsApp has achieved nearly complete market penetration among young men. Only 2 percent of 15- to 24-year-olds in Switzerland cannot be reached via WhatsApp. Facebook, on the other hand, has lost a significant share of this age group. While nearly 70 percent of young people used Facebook at least occasionally in 2016, that figure dropped to just 55 percent a year later. At the same time, Snapchat and Instagram have clearly overtaken Facebook. Two-thirds of young people use Snapchat or Instagram at least occasionally. And more than half of 15- to 24-year-olds even use Snapchat or Instagram daily.

Instagram, however, seems to be slowly reaching its peak among 15- to 24-year-olds. What is surprising is Pinterest’s enormous growth. Pinterest has seen its usage double in virtually all demographic groups. (Figure 4) A distinctive feature of Pinterest is that the platform appeals to significantly more women than men. In addition, Pinterest—like Facebook—is significantly more popular in French-speaking Switzerland than in German-speaking Switzerland. In contrast, YouTube is used significantly less in French-speaking Switzerland.

Moviegoers have an affinity for virtual reality Nearly one in five Swiss people aged 15 and older have already tried virtual reality glasses. Movie-goers, in particular, are enthusiastic about virtual reality. The highest adoption rates for virtual reality are found among younger men in German-speaking Switzerland, among whom roughly 40 percent—twice as many—have tried virtual reality headsets. (Figure 1) The use of smartwatches—which, for now, still consist of a combination of a digital wristwatch and a smartphone—remains relatively uncommon. Only 5 percent of the total population wears a smartwatch at least occasionally. Even though smartwatch usage has risen slightly compared to the previous year, there are still more people who do not use a cell phone at all (6%) than those who use a smartwatch.Internet advertising is mainly hidden in German-speaking Switzerland, by boys and by men with an adblockerEven though the internet is used extensively, advertising there faces a certain degree of resistance. As a result, people install ad blockers to hide online ads. (Figure 2) In 2017, one-fifth of the total population and just under one-third of young people had such software installed on at least one device. At least the number of ad blockers installed among the general population remains stable. But here, too, the highest rates are among young men in German-speaking Switzerland, nearly half of whom have installed an ad blocker. For media outlets financed exclusively through online advertising, this is becoming an increasing problem.Facts About the IGEM-digiMONITORThe IGEM-digiMONITOR surveys the use of video, audio, television, movies, radio, teletext, the Internet, virtual reality, smartwatches, ad blockers, and social media via smartphones, tablets, PCs/laptops, TV sets, and radios in Switzerland.As the only study covering these specific topics, the IGEM-digiMONITOR is representative of the entire population in German- and French-speaking Switzerland aged 15 and older, as it also surveys people who do not use the internet and those without a (registered) landline connection. The IGEM-digiMONITOR was developed by the Interest Group for Electronic Media (IGEM) in collaboration with the Working Group for Advertising Media Research (WEMF) and has been conducted annually by the Link Institute in Lucerne since 2014. In 2017, 1,757 people aged 15 and older participated in the telephone survey, including 1,015 in German-speaking Switzerland and 742 in French-speaking Switzerland. The study results are available free of charge to IGEM members in the form of a volume of tables. Non-members can purchase the study for CHF 5,000 from the IGEM office. More information at www.igem.ch.