The Social Media Segmentation provides an overview of the different ways internet users engage with social media. Each group is designed to capture internet users who actively engage with a particular aspect of social media - featuring those who demonstrate multiple instances of similar behaviors or motivations rather than those who exhibit only a single relevant trait. The groups are not mutually exclusive, and as such respondents may belong to multiple segments.
The segmentation was introduced in Q4 2020, based on questions from the Social Media, Attitudes, Purchase Behaviour and Gaming sections of the GWI Core survey. Short descriptions of each segment are listed below, with full definitions provided at the end of the document.
Segment descriptions
Brand followers
Internet users who use social media to follow brands they like.
Fame followers
Internet users who use social media to follow famous people.
Charity followers
Internet users who use social media to follow charities and support good causes.
Content consumers
Internet users who consume entertainment content via social media.
Friend & family networkers
Internet users who use social media to keep in touch with people they know.
News consumers
Internet users who use social media to keep on top of the news.
Network builders
Internet users who use social media to build new relationships and find like-minded people.
Professional networkers
Internet users who use social media as a tool for work-related networking.
Shoppers
Internet users who browse and buy products on social media.
Viral culture followers
Internet users who use social media to stay on top of the latest trends and memes.
Concerned users
Occasional social media users who feel uneasy about the medium.
Private networkers
Occasional social media users who prefer to stay anonymous.
Technical Definitions
Group Name | Definitions |
|
Brand Followers | Follow at least one of:
| Use social media in order to:
|
Fame Followers | Follow at least one of:
| Use social media in order to:
|
Charity Networkers | Follow:
| Use social media in order to:
|
Content Consumers | Use social media in order to do at least one of:
|
|
Friend & Family Networkers | Follow:
| Use social media in order to do at least one of:
|
News Consumers | Follow at least one of:
| Use social media in order to:
|
Network Builders | Use social media in order to do at least two of:
|
|
Professional Networkers | Follow at least one of:
| Use social media in order to:
|
Shoppers | Use social media in order to find products to purchase
| At least one of the following is a key part of their path to purchase:
|
Viral Culture Followers | Follow:
| Use social media in order to do at least one of:
|
Concerned Users | Use Social Media | Believe both of the following:
|
Privacy Conscious Users | Use Social Media | Believe both of the following
|