How "social" is Switzerland?

SOCIAL 58 percent of the Swiss population uses social media such as blogs, social networks, or Twitter. This is shown in the latest edition of the NET-Metrix-Base Internet study.88 out of 100 Swiss people are regularly on the Internet; three quarters of them even count themselves as heavy users and are online at least every day. They find out about current events, check their e-mails, watch videos, shop, book trips, play online games, look for an apartment or a job, and exchange information on social media platforms. These include not only Facebook and Twitter - but all sites on which users exchange ideas, create something together or share bookmarks, videos or photos. In Switzerland, people are particularly busy blogging, sharing, tweeting and liking. Wikis and social networks are the most popular. Fifty-six percent, or 3.2 million online users, use these services regularly.Social Media Heavy UsersIn daily use, according to the study, which is updated every six months, have NET Metrix Base social networks are clearly ahead: More than half of social media users can be found on Facebook, LinkedIn and the like virtually every day. Media sharing - the exchange of videos, photos and music (e.g. YouTube, Flickr, Picasa, Last.fm) - is still practiced to this extent by 15 percent. By contrast, just 250,000 twitterers are active on the microblog every day.Digital natives are social media usersThe data set expanded to include the topic of "social media" with this publication of the NET-Metrix-Base study also enables detailed analysis of the social media usage of a wide range of target groups. For example, it becomes clear that younger people access social media platforms much more frequently than older users. While almost 90 percent of 14- to 35-year-olds use social media, the figure is still around 65 percent for 36- to 54-year-olds and two-fifths for those over 55. The most popular form of social media, even among the youngest age group, is social networks, closely followed by wikis. In a good third place is media sharing. While almost one in five in this age group is on microblogs/Twitter, among silver surfers (55+) it is only one in twenty.

The graph shows the frequency of use by age. Mobile users particularly social media-savvyMobile Internet use via smartphones, MP3 players and tablets continues to experience an upward trend. More than three quarters of online users use at least one of these devices to surf the Internet. The high affinity of this group of users for social media is particularly striking: around 80 percent of social media users also access the Internet on the move. For example, 94 percent of regular microblog users use a smartphone or tablet, as do 9 out of 10 of the onliners who share videos, photos or music several times a month or more.