Abstract
Young people make intensive and varied use of social networks, which depends on individual differences and use motives. This study analyses the different ways in which young people use the main social media platforms and the role that gender, age and social class play in users’ behaviour with a representative sample of young people aged 17–24 in the Community of Madrid (Spain) (N = 533). Women and the youngest people (17–19 years of age) used social networks more consistently. Instagram and Facebook were the most widely used social networks with greater diversity of use in the areas of sociability and entertainment. While women and the younger age group spent more time using Instagram, young people from the upper class and upper-middle class used Facebook more often in a variety of ways. YouTube was used less frequently, and it was used mainly for entertainment purposes. Snapchat played a small role in this segment of the population. We conclude that age and social class play an important role in defining the different ways in which young people in the Region of Madrid use social media, and such influences vary depending on the platform under study and the types of activities being carried out.
Highlights
Studies carried out by specialized research companies in Spain indicate that an average of one hour per day is spent using social networks, with the most intensive use occurring among men and young people (16–30 years of age)
The age and gender of the respondents seem to influence their frequency of use, while social class makes almost no difference
In line with previous studies (Alhabash and Ma 2017; Oh and Syn 2015; Stanley 2015), young people in Madrid showed themselves to be multiplatform users, with a quarter of them accessing all of the social networks mentioned: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Snapchat, with the first three being the most heavily used sites
Summary
Alhabash and Ma (2017) mention Instagram as the platform where young people spend more time daily, followed by Snapchat, Facebook, and Twitter. Studies carried out by specialized research companies in Spain indicate that an average of one hour per day is spent using social networks, with the most intensive use occurring among men and young people (16–30 years of age). According to frequency of use, Facebook (85%) and Instagram (76%) stand out as the platforms used mainly for social relations and entertainment (IAB 2019), they are losing some weight due to the growing diversification in the consumption of social media platforms and increased consumption on other platforms (IAB 2020)
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