National Survey Reveals Consumers Are Overwhelmed by Social Media
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
MyLife.com ("MyLife") today announced the results of a commissioned survey of social media behavior, conducted online by Harris Interactive. According to the 2012 Connecting and Communicating Online: State of Social Media study consumersthat is, online adults in the U.S. who are 18 and older--fear of missing out (FOMO) may be heightened by their growing reliance on social networks. 62 percent of adults who are currently a member of more than one social networking site say they keep an eye on their social networks because they dont want to miss something (e.g., news or an important event or status update). The findings also indicate that nearly 40 percent would rather undertake unpleasant or potentially painful activities, from getting a root canal to reading War and Peace or spending the night in jail, before they would give up their social networking profiles.
Consumers are bombarded with so much information online from status updates and photos to tweets and check-ins that our anxiety around missing out has shifted to our digital lives, said Jeff Tinsley, CEO of MyLife. The fact that many people would rather run a marathon or spend a night in jail than give up their Facebook or Twitter account is proof positive.
The Facebook Fix
Not only are consumers afraid that theyre missing out if they go too long between log-ins, but the younger generation often checks in with their friends and followers online before theyve even rubbed the sleep from their eyes. More than half of social media multi-taskers want a solution to help them manage their online overload.
Ill Do Anything
Think waiting in the interminable line at the DMV is painful? Not more painful than being asked to give up their social networks according to many respondents. Plenty of social media users, including more than half of Gen Y, would prefer to undergo an arduous task, including tackling one of the longest novels ever, than be forced to delete their social media accounts.
Different Strokes for Different Folks
While Facebook is widely known to be the most popular social network worldwide, the site actually doesnt top social media users lists when it comes to being the primary social profile they turn to for consuming or sharing content, or even a mix of both. LinkedIn is tops for consumption (i.e., to observe without actively posting anything); 68% of online adults who are a member of LinkedIn say they use the site mainly to consume content.
Surprisingly enough, while everyone knows different social networks serve different purposes, the way people are using sites to consume or share content doesnt fall in line with what we might expect, continued Tinsley. Facebook was passed by Foursquare as the primary place people share content and newcomer Pinterest edged out the social media giant when it came to the site where users equally share in both activities.
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National Survey Reveals Consumers Are Overwhelmed by Social Media