June 30th, 2013, YouGov
It is often said that social media sites make keeping connected and updated easier than ever. In this Media Lab we set to find out what social media sites were most popular amongst Lab participants, what makes social media sites popular and whether participants felt that there are any negatives associated with social media sites.
In terms of membership of social media sites, Facebook comes out on top with the majority of Lab participants claiming to have a Facebook account. Of those who are members of Facebook, the majority report visiting the site every day.
Just over half claim to have a Twitter account (a third of whom visit the site daily), about a third of Lab participants have a Google Plus + account and a quarter have a LinkedIn account.
8 in 10 Lab participants reported Facebook as their favorite social media site. Reasons included:
“Because it's easier than twitter” Chihab, Algeria
“It is easy to use” Anon
“Offers the best interaction between people, easy to use for everyone” Ammar, UAE
“Connects with people easily... Good for sharing thoughts and sharing pics and helps get connected always” Anon
Only a small proportion of Lab participants cited Twitter and even less cited Google Plus + or LinkedIn as their favorite social media site.
Twitter:
“Rather than writing big posts, twitter only allows a word limit of 140 words which helps me in expressing my views in only few words” Choudhary, UAE
“Because you express yourself with some words, seen by many people, and also because you can follow your favorite people” Mohamed, Morocco
LinkedIn:
“It helps us to enhance our work links” Anon
“It is professional yet you can still connect with your friends. There are no annoying game invites” Juliette, UAE
“It is a network that gives a lot of business and work opportunities and ensures exchange between professional in all subjects” Achraf, Morocco
”Because it is a professional site” Shahmeen Ashraf, Pakistan
The overwhelming majority believe agree that it is very important for companies to be present on social media.
“It will increase their business” Anon
“Since a wide selection of people are using social media, It is the best place for a company, project and ideas to be present” Ammar, UAE
“To get connected with final customer and to increase brand visibility” Anon
“With billions of users of FB, companies new, old and emerging should consider its presence in FB if they want to expand their market niche in the society” EJ,UAE
“Currently this is the trend. Most of the people are very active in social media websites. If the organizations are present on the social media, they can get direct feedback from their customers, makes it more interative than the traditional marketing methods. New promotions can be updated and can be easily "shared"to several other people who may necessarily not be their customers. This helps in obtaining more customers with very less effort” Henna, UAE
“Social media is playing a very important role for companies to do their product marketing in an easy way” Muhammad Arsalan, UAE
Just over three quarters of Lab participants agree that social media is generally having a positive impact on society. This is what Lab participants had to say on this matter:
“I think social media has a positive impact because it has a lot to offer imagine without social media the world would be boring” Anon
“Well, it has a positive impact on my life; but on a larger scale, it’s actually ruining the society. Our kids don't go out and play like they used to. We've lost the touch!” Misty, KSA
“It is important for communication and free conversation but on the other hand it can also be misused” Anon
"Arab spring started in FB that led to the ouster of some dictators within the region. Social media played a much clearer role to the society where voices of the masses have been fearlessly displayed with positive results” EJ
“Everything has its own merits and demerits. It depends solely on the individual as to how they want to use it. Spending the whole day on social media websites and without any direct interaction with their family can put a strain on their relationship. Sometimes individuals use it for stalking another person which can turn out to be very harmful. There should be certain age limit, kids should be allowed to access these websites under parental guidance only” Henna, UAE
“Well, it has its positives and negatives. We have lost most of our real life with the real people around us while we are very well in touch with those far away...it’s a family killer. The good side is, we're always up to date about stuff going on around the country/world and within our circles” Abdul Wahab, KSA
“It depends on the user while they are using this social media for good purpose or bad. So we cannot say that it is playing a completely positive role” Muhammad Arsalan, UAE
Lab participants were asked what they like most about social media and this is what we found:
“Connecting old friends” Anon
“It keeps you informed and updated in what is happening around the globe” Anon
“Lets you meet different people from different cultures” Anon
“Keeps all friends, family connected regardless of the distance” Anon
“It makes conversation easy, instant and cheap” Anon
“Sharing personal views is the best thing which I like. Everyone could debate for hours” Choudhary, UAE
“Free of charge, freedom of speech, knowledge sharing... etc” Achraf, Morocco
On the other hand, Lab participants were asked what they dislike the most about social media and this is what they said:
“Fights occur between people without knowing each other” Anon
“It can also be risky if your privacy is hampered” Anon
“Comments against any race, religion or custom is the worst thing that could be found on social media” Choudhary, UAE
“Addictive stuff around there! Causing distraction from real life” Abdul Wahab, KSA
“No censoring of subjects” Joseph, KSA