Report: Nearly 40% of western Canadians think social media is a waste of time

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According to more than one third of Western Canadians surveyed, people could be using their time – and those super-computers they carry around in their pockets – more wisely.

In Northweather’s 2017 State of Digital Survey, 1,750 Western Canadians were surveyed regarding their social media and cellphone usage, and the results were… well, basically what you’d imagine.

There were some naysayers when it came to using social media, with 37% believing it to all be a complete waste of time – which may actually be the case, as the same survey found that 31% of people who are on social media aren’t really using it.

Sure, they scroll through and look at the pictures and posts, but nearly one third of those respondents said they take a very sidelined approach when it came to social media; never commenting, liking, sharing, or posting their own content, a habit that could spell trouble down the line.

“If the trend of increasing browse-only behaviour continues, social media platforms will have a problem with content production,” the report reads.

The study also found that 38% of those surveyed were worried about their online reputation; 40% have refrained from posting due to worries about what their employer might think, and an astounding 61% held off on a post because they worried their friends or family might not like it.

But social media is far from dead.

When asked if they think their social media use will increase, stay the same, or lessen in 2018, 12% believed an increase was imminent, with only 4% thinking they’ll use social media less over the next year.

The real kicker? 86% of Western Canadians surveyed own a smartphone, and nearly one in three respondents said that they own two.

That’s one way to get twice the browsing speed.

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