Australian Social Media Habits

Australian Social Media Habits
Katina Michael
Professor, School for the Future of Innovation in Society, Arizona State University
Professor, School of Computing and IT, University of Wollongong

Every night we go to sleep pretty much with the same age-old routine. We clean up the dishes after dinner, try to unwind a little with the family, finish off the last bits and pieces of our work, brush our teeth, tuck our kids into bed and count our blessings (or misfortunes) one way or another. But what has changed for over one third of women is that we look at our social media feeds before we shut eye as the very last activity of the day; men do too, but only about a fifth of them.

In the morning, overwhelmingly, more than half of the adult population wake up and check their social media feed as the very first activity of the day! Yes, that’s even before going to the bathroom. But if you are one of those 16% of adults who can multitask, it would be unsurprising to learn that you could access social media sites while on the toilet! Although some argue our lives have become so busy with all the messaging, that it’s the perfect time to check on social media updates. Not!

For those who have a love-hate relationship with social media, defining “waking up” or “going to sleep” might be a little more complex. Research shows that about 30% of women access the Internet more than 30 times a day, that’s about twice per waking hour on average. And depending on the session time duration, some women may be online perpetually. For the record, men are not that far behind. Even over 65s are big users with about a quarter accessing the internet more than 20 times a day.

About 13% of women say they feel anxious when they haven’t been able to check their social media accounts compared to just 5% of men. This number is believed to be much higher for some age groups pertaining to platforms like Facebook as some international studies have shown. Women seem to be more likely to compare one another online, check out pictures of one another’s perfect holiday escape, the perfect dress, handbag or haircut, the perfect dinner meal prepared, the perfect social gathering, the perfect house, the best body after a gym session, the best altruistic deeds and more. The temptation to check one’s social media account is so great, that nearly 30% of women have admitted to using social media while eating a meal with family or friends, double that of men.

Yet, what is so alluring about our connectedness to others, that instantaneous dopamine hit we receive when we check to see if anyone might have responded to our post? About one third of the population admit that social media has had a negative impact on their sleep. But it’s not just about sleep patterns, social media is “always on”. People are aware that it can have a negative impact on their productivity- and it’s not just at work, it’s at home as well with common chores like doing the laundry or attending to dinnertime. We’ve all seen individuals suspended in time in shopping aisles as they attend to an urgent message, giggling to themselves or even angry. We ourselves might be one of those people. The positive thing about all of this change is that about half of us are acutely aware of our actions and the negative impact that our social media habits may be having on our privacy, even though we have a difficult time in addressing changes to our own behaviours.

These statistics have all come from a survey of 2000 Australians by Glow research and it’s become evident that social media is now a meshed socio-cyber-physical fabric in our society and an integral part of our everyday lives and the way we do business.

I just got off the phone with a prospective student whose attention was piqued after a targeted ad about a new Masters degree I am chairing hit his Twitter feed. One colleague I know is using Instagram stories to try and engage her accounting students to more attractive learning opportunities to reinforce knowledge delivered via traditional educational platforms. And one local apparel company I know is offering free giveaways for committed followers who post pictures of themselves wearing the apparel on the company social media pages.

Social media grants intimate vectors of connectivity that are referred to as touchpoints, enabling for greater personalisation across market segments. Its power is in attracting individuals who see a part of their own self-image in a brand, a visualisation, in a moment.

Marketers would previously have to depend on opinion leaders in groups, solely on word of mouth, and a great deal of surveying. People are now divulging on social media without being prompted, are sharing things they would never tell a telemarketer on the phone, and can be observed interacting with products and services demonstrating experience. In short, this kind of data is invaluable for marketers. They can see things about their target market and new market opportunities that were previously hidden or invisible. Our opinions have taken form in word, in picture, and more recently in multimedia apps like TikTok.

So what else has this survey shown? That women are the heaviest users of social media, and are only outpaced by men using social media in the workplace. About 40% of women say they spend far too long on social media, while 60% of men say their usage is just about right. In comparing figures between 2019 and 2020, social media usage is up by a whopping 31% in Australian adults, which shows the value of social media to people as a means of communication. This figure is set to be even higher in 2021 due to COVID-19 self isolation requirements. We might even go so far as saying, thank goodness for social media apps during these times, despite that many people have still felt lonely.

One thing for certain, whether on public transport, in the car, or at a restaurant or bar, the typical data profile of female users is significantly different from traditional communications. And when it comes to who has access to social media at home, the number is near saturation. Only 6% of Australian adults do not have some type of social media presence. Two thirds of women retreat to their bedroom to access social media sites as compared to 44% of men. And nearly three quarters of women use social media whilst watching TV compared to just 55% of men, enticing multichannel feedback loops.

Social media might well be positioned as a marketing dream come true but it raises a great number of issues about how much we can “know our customer” and how much we might be able to “influence their decision” to browse or buy. One thing for certain, it’s not going away. And as consumers we have to become that little bit more savvy when we link ourselves to popular brands, what we share online, what information we believe, and how to cope with the occasional feeling of enslavement when it comes to being tied to online content.

Source: Katina Michael, 22 July 2020, “Australian Social Media Habits”, Sensis, https://www.sensis.com.au/australian-social-media-habits