7awi Survey Results on the Use of Social Media
7awi Media Group has recently conducted an opinion poll on the use of social media. The survey aims to examine the influence of social media sites on their users and their daily life. It covered over 3,000 participants from the Middle East and North Africa.
According to the online poll, %91.6 of participants use their mobile phones to access their social media accounts, with %21.5 post on social media at least once a week, and %21.2 post daily.
What is more, %39.3 spend over 3 hours a day on various social media sites. According to the survey, Facebook ranked first as the most popular social media platform for %44.4 of the participants, followed by WhatsApp, the instant messaging application, with %30.4.
The poll results demonstrate that %57.2 of the voters use social media for personal reasons, while %81.5 use it to connect with friends and family, and only %20.6 to search for new friends.
More so, %41.2 said they use social media for both personal and commercial use. The results show that %43.7 of participants rely on social media to complete their work, whereas %20.6 look for new job opportunities on social media.
In addition, %52.5 of the participants reported they only access social media platforms in their spare time, while %43.6 said they are connected most of the time, and %22.1 are keen on checking their social media before bed.
For of the participants, they use social media sites to watch video clips. More so, the survey found that entertainment and celebrities are the most popular content on Facebook (for %69.2 of participants), Instagram (for %76.4), Snapchat (%54.6), YouTube (%54.6) and TikTok (%80.3).
The survey found that %37.9 of participants have over 500 friends on all their social media accounts. But, only %35.5 of them have actually met the majority of these friends.
Furthermore, %82.5 said they use social media accounts to sign into other sites, and %57.3 said that Facebook is the most popular social media account for logging into other websites.
The participants pointed out the negative effects of using social media on both people and users, some of these effects include:
- Spreading fake news and rumors. (%92.2 of participants believe that social media platforms facilitate the spread of fake news).
- Social media can be used to manipulate people by using fake names and photos, and conduct deception and fraud. (%48.3 think that celebrities and influencers would promote certain products on social media, hence affecting their decision about buying these products).
- Addiction. (%40 of participants believe themselves to be addicted to social media).
Nonetheless, the participants find that social media have a number of advantages, some of which are:
- Connecting with people at any time regardless of their geographic location. (%81.5 use social media to communicate with family and friends).
- Staying updated about the latest news around the world. (%73.5 use social media outlets to learn about the latest news).
- Meet new people and create friendships. (%20.6 use social media to make new friends).
To read the full survey results, click here.