New student survey shows Facebook is king of the castle

On 3 March 2015, a Student Tech Survey was conducted by World Wide Worx and Student Brands with the help of Standard Bank. The new survey was conducted across South African tertiary education institutions. Over 2300 students took part in a study to establish the social media platform trends among our tertiary education students.

An overwhelming 97% of the students that participated said that they use the social media platform Facebook. Twitter came in second with 67% followed by YouTube with 44% and WeChat with 22%.

The survey also showed that 40% of students are using Instagram and 36% use LinkedIn.

"The survey is a powerful indication that the student market - which comprises future working professionals - is embracing social networking," says Vuyo Mpako, Head of Innovation and Channel Design at Standard Bank. "It is therefore important to note that social networking will become a central component of any services provided to this market in the future."

It is all down to instant communication

"Communication is at the heart of students' use of technology," says Daryl Bartkunsky, MD of the Student Brands youth portal. "They are also extremely budget-conscious, so anything that cuts the cost of making contact will appeal to them."

When it came to instant messaging 92% of students said that they use the WhatsApp service with 55% using Facebook Messenger and 48% using BBM.

The question of addiction

One of the key questions that was asked in the survey was whether students felt that they were addicted to social media networks. While their answers showed that this has become a problem for our learners, the numbers were less than expected.

11% admitted to being “very addicted” and 43% said that they were “a little addicted”.

The same question about instant messaging did show an increase, with 20% saying that they are “very addicted” and 35% being “a little addicted”.

Smart devices

When it came to students’ smartphones 25% of students admitted that they gave their smartphones priority when it came to studying for tests and exams, the same number also said that they would use their smartphones in lectures instead of paying attention.

"Technology delivers both the positive and negative for students," says Goldstuck. "The overwhelming finding of the survey, though, is that it enhances their academic and social lives and their lifestyles in general."

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