Canadians really, really like Facebook.
New data from Media Technology Monitor shows Facebook is by far the most dominant social network among English Canadians, used by 92% of social networkers 18+. That is more than the next three social platforms – LinkedIn (33%), Google+ (31%) and Twitter (27%) – combined.
But while Facebook adoption has plateaued, newer platforms are maintaining an upward trajectory. LinkedIn and Twitter, for example, have grown 26% and 21% respectively since 2011, while Pinterest usage has increased by 62% since 2013.
Each social platform tends to have a distinct user profile. For example, 41% of students use Twitter, while Pinterest users tend to be overwhelmingly young and female. Instagram tends to attract younger female users, and is especially popular in Toronto – where 22% of internet users accessed the platform in the past month.
Snapchat, which allows users to exchange texts, videos and photos that disappear shortly after being viewed/received, is overwhelmingly favoured by students and millennials.
The study found three quarters of Canadian Anglophones have visited a social media site in the past month, up slightly from 71% in 2012.
Social networking is “nearly ubiquitous” among students and millennials, with 95% of students and 93% of Anglophones between 18-34 having visited a social networking site in the past month. The study also found 84% of people with a child 12 or under in the house also frequent social networks.
Social networkers are also dedicated users, with 82% checking their account at least once a day. Among the major social platforms, Twitter users are the most dedicated, with 95% checking at least once a day.
While 13% respondents said they use between five and 11 social networks, most use just one (26%) or two (28%) networks.
Social networkers also spent an average of 24.5 hours per week on the internet, three hours more than the average internet user. They are also more likely to view online video (93% versus 88%), online TV (60% versus 52%) and a full-length movie (49% versus 43%) than the average internet user.
The percentage of people accessing social networks via their smartphone has remained stable at 62% since last year. Most social networking – 75% – still occurs via computer.
Device usage varies significantly by network, however, with Twitter users embracing smartphones but not tablets. The report concludes that the short nature of tweets lends itself to portability. Snapchat and Instagram are also far more popular on smartphones.
The research is based on a fall 2014 telephone survey of 4,002 Anglophones (including 671 cellphone only) from all regions of the country.
