Top 10 Reasons for Using Social Media

As our latest social report shows, 40% of internet users are most likely to use social networks to keep in touch with what their friends are doing, making this the top reason for social media use on a global scale.

Beyond this, internet users are mostly using social media to fill up spare time or to consume content.

Among the various age groups, however, there are key differences to note.

Significantly, among 16-24 year-olds, the key reason for using social media is not to keep in touch, but rather to fill up spare time. Among 25-34 year-olds, staying in touch with friends proves more important, while among 34-44 year-olds, it comes down to staying up-to-date with news and current affairs.

A key trend here lies in news consumption across social media platforms, as 4 in 10 are using the services to get news updates.

The top three motivations noted here have one common characteristic – they are all related to passive forms of networking.

Indeed, as we explore further in our Passive Networking report, many social media users are coming to view social networks as sources of content rather than platforms that require active contributions.

Equally telling is that only 19% of internet users say that they are using social media to share details about their daily life. By some margin, this motivation is less important to networkers than sharing opinions or photos/videos.

Clearly, then, many internet users have become more comfortable using social media to publish content rather than to broadcast personal details.