IPA TouchPoints: Social media use holds firm despite misinformation concerns
Almost 80% of UK adults (78.7%) are concerned about the amount of misinformation on social media, yet such anxieties are not causing them to abandon their time spent with platforms.
On the contrary, adults spend an average of one hour and 34 minutes on social media per day, with this rising to two hours and 31 minutes among the 16-34-year-old cohort.
That is according to the latest IPA TouchPoints survey, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary today. It finds that nearly three-quarters of adults (73.9%) use at least one social media platform weekly, with this number rising to 88.9% of 16-34-year-olds.
“We all have our various reasons for going on social media, but what is interesting from this data is that, in spite of our concerns about it serving up misinformation, we still choose to engage with it,” commented the IPA’s co-director of media research, Dan Flynn. “This truly demonstrates the hold and power it has over us.”
Social media usage among 16-34s far outpaces the adult average
The IPA declined to reveal which specific media properties have the greatest weekly reach in the UK. It did reveal, however, that the top three media properties across all adults are social media platforms, followed by two broadcasters.
Among 16-34s, all of the top five media properties by weekly reach are social media platforms. This contrasts with the 55+ cohort, whose top five media properties by weekly reach include three broadcasters and two social platforms.
Smartphone use has grown to encompass a plurality of time spent with curated commercial media. Last year, the IPA’s TouchPoints report found that smartphone use overtook TV use for the first time among UK adults. This year, smartphone use has fallen back in a tie with TV use, with 34% of media consumption now taking place on both mediums, respectively. This is followed by 14% on desktop/laptops and 8% on radio sets.
Media consumption on smartphones has plateaued around same level as TV
Within smartphone usage, social media and messaging dominates share of activity at 47%, followed by TV/video (23%) and radio/audio (16%).
More broadly, Brits now spend nearly one-third of the day (7 hours and 24 minutes) staring at screens, be they TV sets, laptops/desktops, tablets, video game consoles or smartphones.