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June, 2017

The must-know stats from the 2017 Sensis Social Media Report

The Sensis Social Media report is an annual survey of 800 consumers, 1,000 SMBs and 100 large businesses on how they use social networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. This year’s report is in two parts, with the consumer results released on 22 June and business results on 29 June 2017.

Number of Australians on social media 

  • Almost eight in 10 people (79%) now use social media, which is 10 points higher than last year.

What people are doing on social media

  • 45% have taken a selfie and this is more common among males (47% vs 43%) and 18-29 year olds (88%).
  • Four in 10 have posted a photo of their food on social media and this is more common among males (43% vs 38%) and 18-29 year olds (82%).
  • One in 3 people have felt excited when their post has received more likes on social media than usual. The number doubles among 18-29 year olds where six in 10 (63%) have felt this way.

The impact of social media

  • 15% have felt anxious when unable to access their social media accounts and this number is significantly higher among 18-29 year olds (37%).
  • Almost 2 in 10 (19%) are happy to check social media while eating with family or friends, with 30-39 year olds the biggest culprits (33%).
  • 11% have worried their social media footprint might one day come back to bite them, with 30-39 year olds the most likely to feel this way (15%).

Frequency of use

  • More than a third of people now access social media more than five times per day (35%), which is up from 26% last year. Among 18-29 year olds 89% check-in at least once per day.

Most popular times

  • In the evening (up from 49% to 57%) and first thing in the morning (up from 49% to 57%) have become even more popular and are the most popular times for using social media.
  • Almost half are now accessing social media on their break (up from 33% to 47%) or at lunchtime (up from 36% to 47%).

The most popular platforms

  • Visual platforms continue to grow in popularity, with Instagram seeing a 15 point jump in users (from 31% to 46%). Snapchat saw the biggest growth, with usage almost doubling from 22% to 40% this year. Twitter has also seen a surge in usage, up from 19% to 32%.
  • However, Facebook remains the most popular, with 94% of social media users on the platform. 

Where people are using social media

  • The most popular place to use social media continues to be in the home (96%), with the lounge room (up from 69% to 84%), bedroom (up from 42% to 59%) and kitchen (up from 22% to 34%) increasing in popularity.

  • Outside of the home usage on public transport (up from 25% to 43%), in restaurants, bars and parties (up from 19% to 33%) and in the car (up from 20% to 37%) has become more common.
  • More than a third (35%) are accessing social media at work.

Read the rest of the article and download the 2017 Sensis Social Media Report here.

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