Research firm Gartner surveyed 6,295 respondents, between the ages of 13 and 74, in 11 developed and developing markets in December 2010 and January 2011. The findings show signs of “social media fatigue" showing up in mature social media markets around the world.
Consumers were asked about their use of and opinions about social media sites with the aim of examining usage trends and how enthusiastic users were about social media in general across a range of countries. While the survey reinforced overall enthusiasm for social media, with teenagers and 20-somethings more likely to say that they had increased their usage, users in the US, UK and Japan -- countries considered to be among the most developed social media markets -- had decreased their usage by as much as 40%.
Markets where use was higher included South Korea and Italy, where almost 50% of respondents said they used their social media sites more. Conversely, countries with the most respondents saying they used the site less included Brazil and Russia — both with between 30-40% of respondents exhibiting less enthusiasm.
Overall, 24% of respondents said they use their favorite social media site less than when they first signed up. Respondents who indicated that they were using less were asked what negative factors might be influencing their decision. 33% said they were concerned about privacy. Attitudes to privacy were age-related, with teenagers citing privacy concerns significantly less often than older respondents (22% of teenagers agreed or strongly agreed that privacy concerns were decreasing their enthusiasm, versus an average of 33%).
“The trend shows some social media fatigue among early adopters, and the fact that 31% of Aspirers [younger, more mobile, brand-conscious consumers] indicated that they were getting bored with their social network is a situation that social media providers should monitor, as they will need to innovate and diversify to keep consumer attention," said Brian Blau, research director at Gartner.
