ASIA MEDIA STAFF WRITES – A recent survey conducted in Singapore has found that the majority of youths who are active on social media strive to ensure that their online presence portrays them in a good light, but often do not lie about themselves in order to do so.
The survey conducted by Singapore Polytechnic’s Diploma in Media Communication (DMC) found that 89.1 percent of the respondents revealed that they would not post fraudulent or inaccurate information to make themselves look better, and that 83.3 percent agree that maintaining a positive online image is important.
In a series of face-to-face interviews conducted by Singapore Polytechnic students, 820 people (415 females and 405 males)between the ages of 15-35 participated.
In terms of social media platform usage, the survey found that Facebook and Twitter have seen a decline in usage. Where in 2012 respondents used Facebook 65.4 percent, it was down to 60.4 percent in 2014.
The usage for Twitter has seen a similar decline from 36.1 percent in 2012 to 28 percent in 2014. It seems, however, that Instagram is becoming the most popular social media platform, with an increase from 6.5 percent in 2012 to 50.9 percent in 2014.
Interestingly enough, 42.7 percent of respondents stated that they would edit their photos to appear more attractive on social media platforms. More specifically, it was found that on Instagram, females (52.3 percent) were more likely to edit their photos compared to males (40.3 percent) before posting them online.
With social media becoming a larger part of our lives it is comforting to know that at least some youths are being cautious about what they choose to share with the world. The full results of the survey can be found here.