For the New Year 2015, Belgians plan to spend less time on social media, but not give it up completely. This information comes from a study by the Trendhuis studies office, involving 1,100 people. In 2014, a quarter of Belgians said they planned to stop using social media, but this figure has fallen to one in six for 2015. “Belgians are willing to reduce the amount of time they spend on social media, but stopping completely is proving difficult. This dependence is also shown in the use of smartphones: 30% of Belgians say they would not be able to live without them”, reveals the study. For many people, especially young people, smartphones are their main access to social media.
Barely 2% of Belgians said they wanted to use social media more in 2015. “Belgians see it as a bad habit and a waste of time”, says Nathalie Bekx, CEO of the trends and studies office Trendhuis, in a press release. It’s mostly those who use the different sites and apps most frequently, 20 to 35 year olds, who plan to “waste less time” on social media: 41% plan to use it less. For those over 36, it’s just 20%.
6 Belgians in 10 fear their privacy will be invaded and therefore plan to share less or no personal information on social media.
Very few users say that social media contributes to their happiness.
Finally, one in ten people (41%) among the 20-35 year old age group say they use social media every day. For 36-50 year olds, it’s three in ten, and two in ten for those over 50. “Belgians still have a long way to go (by their own admission) if they want to break their bad habits”, the study shows.
(Source: Belga)
