Results: Soulie Social Media Survey 2023 — Part II
Welcome back to Part II of the results of our Social Media Survey, conducted in May 2023.
Part II focuses on 5 social media platforms — TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and Facebook. Do we actually enjoy spending time on those platforms? Do we find the time we spend on them valuable? And how do we really feel after using them?
In the first two parts of this 3 part series, we focus on presenting the results, so you can read the data without bias. The next and final part of our series will present our analysis and interpretation of the results.
So are we doomed? Or are things not so bad? Read on and let us know what you think.
Ain’t got time to read the whole thing? Here’s a TL;DR:
We surveyed 256 Gen Z and Millennials, with 91% of them being from Europe, and found the following:
- Top used platform amongst respondents is Instagram, used by 97%. The least used platform is Snapchat, used by 42% of respondents.
- Do we enjoy it? About half of the users mostly enjoy the time they spend on TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat; the number is lower on Twitter (43%) and lowest on Facebook (20%).
- Is it worth it? A little over 50% find time spent on Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter valuable; the number falling to 44% among respondents who use Facebook. Only 38% of TikTok users among respondents feel like the time they spend on TikTok is valuable. 50% of TikTok users feel like the time they spend on it is not valuable.
- Post-Scroll Feelings: 65% of TikTok users and 54% of Instagram users feel entertained after using the platforms, whereas 66% of Snapchat users feel connected with others after using the platform. For TikTok, feeling connected with others was the least reported feeling after using the platform (9%).
Information about the sample, the methodology as well as recommendations for future surveys can be found at the end of the blog post.
Platform usage and frequency among Gen Z and Millennials
We surveyed the respondents about 5 different platforms: TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and Facebook. The respondents did not have the option to report using platforms that were not asked about, thus the results will only display usage and attitudes about those 5 platforms.
97% of respondents reported using Instagram, making it the most popular platform among respondents. The least used platform among the respondents was Snapchat, with less than half — 42% of users reporting using it. Interestingly, only 51% of the surveyed people reported using TikTok, making it the 2nd least popular platform among respondents.
We also queried people about how often they use said platforms.
The results show that most Instagram users — 77% — report using it multiple times a day. In this survey, no other platform had as many users who use it multiple times per day. TikTok is 2nd in line with the amount of users who use it multiple times a day among respondents, with Twitter having the least multiple-times-a-day users among the respondents.
Now that we know how much and which platforms the respondents use, let’s see if the time they spend is considered enjoyable and valuable.
Do we enjoy the time we spend on social media platforms?
About half of TikTok and Snapchat users among respondents mostly enjoy the time spent on those platforms, indicating they enjoy their time spent on them “Always” or “Most of the time”. The numbers fall below half for Instagram — 46%, Twitter — 43% and are especially low for Facebook — 20%, making it the platform respondents enjoy spending time on the least.
Snapchat has the most users — 21% — who always enjoy the time they spend on it, with Facebook having only 2% of users who always enjoy the time they spend on it.
Among the platforms’ users, the largest proportion of users who rarely enjoy the time spent on the platform were on Facebook, with 38% of users reporting they rarely enjoy the time they spend on it.
Enjoying a moment of scroll is one thing. But do we feel like we get value out of it?
Do we feel like the time we spend on social media is valuable?
In the previous question we explored if users of different social media platforms enjoy the time they spend on them. Now, let’s see if we find the time we spend on those platforms valuable.
On TikTok, only 38% of the users find the time they spend on the platform somewhat valuable, while a substantial 50% regard their time spent on the platform as not valuable. This positions TikTok as the platform where respondents perceive their time as least valuably spent among the platforms in the survey.
On Instagram, 59% of respondents feel that the time they spend on it is somewhat valuable or very valuable, and 33% consider it to not be valuable.
Snapchat comes out on top in the time-value category with 61% of respondents who use it considering the time they spend on it to be at least somewhat valuable, and 31% considering it not valuable.
Twitter fares similarly to Instagram with 56% of respondents feeling like the time they spend on it is at least somewhat valuable, and 36% considering the time they spend on it not valuable.
Facebook, even though it was the platform people reported enjoying spending time on the least, still rates higher than TikTok in terms of value gotten out of spending time on the platform. 44% of Facebook users among respondents find the time they spend on this platform at least somewhat valuable, and 45% don’t find the time they spend on it to be valuable.
Now that we have looked at the enjoyment and value, let’s see how using those platforms leave us feeling after our scroll sessions.
Post-scroll feelings
We asked users how they feel after using each platform. Respondents could choose any feelings that apply from an offered list, as well as offer their own emotion (for clarity, grouped under “Other”). Let’s look at the platforms separately at first, and then move on to a comparison.
TikTok
TikTok was used by 51% of all respondents, and here is how TikTok leaves respondents feeling after using the platform:
The feeling mostly reported after using TikTok is “Entertained”. It is the only one of the surveyed platforms where “Connected with others” was not in the top 3 feelings. In fact, “Connected with others” was the least reported feeling at only 9% of users feeling that way after using TikTok. It is the only platform to feature the feeling “Depressed or down” in the top 3.
Instagram was by far the most used platform among respondents, with 97% of respondents reporting using Instagram. Here is how using Instagram leaves them feeling:
The top feeling reported after using instagram was “Entertained”, with “Indifferent or neutral” in second place.
Snapchat
Snapchat, while not the most popular platform among respondents with only 42% of respondents reporting they use it, differed from other platforms surveyed. The top feeling after using Snapchat was reported to be “Connected with others” at 66%, with “Motivated” being the feeling reported least at 2%. It is the only platform that features the feeling “Happy” in the top 3.
Twitter was used by 53% of the respondents, and the top feelings felt after using Twitter were “Entertained” and “Indifferent or Neutral” at 51%, and “Motivated” at the bottom with 7%.
55% of respondents reported using Facebook, and it mostly leaves users feeling “Indifferent or neutral”. Similarly to other platforms, “Motivated” is the feeling reported felt the least after using the platform.
How do they compare to each other?
When it comes to TikTok and Instagram, the main feeling users report after using said platforms was “Entertained”. However, for both platforms, the second feeling reported was “Indifferent or neutral”.
After using Snapchat, the most common feeling at 66% is “Connected to others”. After using TikTok, only 9% report feeling connected to others. 28% of users report feeling “Depressed or down” after using TikTok, whereas on Snapchat, the users reporting feeling this way after using the app come in at only 5%.
For each platform, feeling “Indifferent or neutral” was in the top 3 feelings reported after using said platform.
Here are the same results presented by feeling, with the platforms where the feeling was reported highest and lowest after using said platform.
Anxious. Highest: TikTok (16%), Lowest: Snapchat (4%)
Connected with others. Highest: Snapchat (66%), Lowest: TikTok (9%)
Depressed or down. Highest: TikTok (28%), Lowest: Snapchat (5%)
Entertained. Highest: TikTok (65%), Lowest: Snapchat (11%)
Happy. Highest: Snapchat (25%), Lowest: Facebook (8%)
Indifferent or Neutral. Highest: Facebook (54%), Lowest: Snapchat (37%)
Inspired. Highest: Instagram (28%), Lowest: Snapchat (4%)
Motivated. Highest: TikTok (18%), Lowest: Snapchat (2%)
Stressed. Highest: TikTok (18%), Lowest: Snapchat (6%)
Summary
The Soulie Social Media Survey 2023 reveals significant insights into Gen Z and Millennial social media habits, predominantly in Europe. The data shows that Instagram was the most used platform among the respondents, with Snapchat being the least used platform.
About half of the users of TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat enjoy the time they spend on the platform. There is less enjoyment reported for spending time on Twitter and Facebook.
When it comes to value in the time spent on the platform, over half of the users of Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter report finding the time they spend on the platforms at least somewhat valuable. Only 38% of TikTok users among the respondents find time they spend on the platform at least somewhat valuable, even though 51% of the users of the platform report enjoying their time on it.
About the survey
In May 2023, we conducted a survey to gain insight into Gen Z and Millennial attitudes towards social media.
The majority of the respondents fell into the 16–20 year old (42%) and 21–25 year old (32%) age groups, leaving the other age groups underrepresented in comparison. Thus, the results for age groups other than 16–20 and 21–25 years old may not fully represent the experiences of those age groups.
The survey was conducted via Google Forms and distributed via Soulie social media channels (TikTok, Instagram) as well as on the Soulie Discord Community and the Soulie newsletter. 73.4% of the respondents reported being part of the Soulie community or the Soulie waitlist. The Soulie Discord as well as the Soulie waitlist is often informed of the harms of social media use and mindless scrolling by sharing scientific studies and discussing the topic at length, therefore making this sample size more likely to acknowledge and be aware of their habits.
It is also important to note that most people who are in the Soulie Discord Community or in the Soulie Waitlist have found Soulie through Instagram advertisement campaigns. Therefore, it was to be expected that in the sample there would be many Instagram users, as Instagram was the channel they found Soulie on.
91% of the 256 respondents are from Europe, meaning these findings predominantly reflect the social media habits and perceptions of European Gen Z and Millennials. While these insights are valuable, they may not fully represent the global perspectives and experiences of these age groups.
Recommendations for next surveys:
- Distribute the survey among a wider range of participants in terms of: region of origin; level of knowledge about the harmful effects of the infinite scroll and social media; awareness of Soulie; age
- Allow users to self-report which social media platforms they use. Due to us only providing 5 options, the survey does not represent usage and attitudes towards platforms that Gen Z and Millennials use outside of the 5 that were asked about
