industries

10 key social media trends: report

Insights West analyzes what's hot—and not—in social media for Canadian marketers

By The Editors /

Credit: Flickr user magicatwork

Insights West analyzes what’s hot—and not—in social media for Canadian marketers

For its 2017 Canadian Social Media Monitor, Vancouver-based market research firm Insights West looked at:

  • The social media platforms that are gaining momentum and those that are losing ground
  • Demographic differences in social media platform usage
  • Positive and negative impact of social media
  • Attitudes toward social media usage

Top 10 insights

1. Despite the rise of other social media platforms, Facebook maintains its absolute dominance in usage and momentum across age groups, making it the go-to source for social media marketers

2. YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat are the up-and-comers. Marketers should look for opportunities to capitalize their presence on these platforms as usage grows.

3. Snapchat’s growth is driven by 18-to-34-year-olds, although it has also improved among those aged 35 to 54.

4. Pinterest (particularly among its mostly female following) and Google+ may be starting to fall out of vogue. Tumblr also looks to be stalled, if not in decline.

5. The growth of YouTube and Instagram is driven by increases in the 35-to-54-year-old segment, whereas Twitter’s growth is due exclusively to an increase in male users.

6. Momentum scores show that YouTube, Instagram and Facebook are poised for even further growth, while every other platform seems to show leveling off.

7. The most positive impact of social media appears to be in connecting and improving relationships with friends.

8. Social media has also had a significant impact on educating people on issues and contributing to positive lifestyle changes.

9. The negative interactions reported by Canadian social media users include the issue of “fake news,” and racist and offensive content, as well as strained relationships.

10. The overall dominance of social media continues, which means marketers must shift away from traditional media to where segments are spending more time.

For more details and analysis, download the free report.