Daily Active Users of Social Network Sites: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram-Use Compared to General Social Network Site Use

Johan Hellemans (), Kim Willems and Malaika Brengman
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Johan Hellemans: Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Kim Willems: Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Malaika Brengman: Vrije Universiteit Brussel

A chapter in Advances in Digital Marketing and eCommerce, 2020, pp 194-202 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract Most research on Social Network Sites (SNS) has focused on Facebook. Some scholars have argued to abandon the focus on a single platform in favor of studying SNS in general (GSNS). Others call for more comparative research of different SNS. With this study, we contribute to both approaches by taking a multi-cross platform approach comparing specific SNS as well as GSNS and their underlying user-profile. We obtained cross-sectional data from 5500 Belgians between 18–64 that answered a self-completed survey via quota-sampling, administered via an online panel. Logistic regression analyses on the number of daily active users (DAU) show individual differences in sociodemographic background per specific SNS use by Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, as well as GSNS, confirming the concern that the focus on Facebook is a justified critique, and that insight derived from Facebook cannot necessarily be generalized to other SNS. Additionally, our results indicate that the overall indicated usage frequency by GSNS is lower than when incidence is reported for an additive measure of specific SNS as well as Facebook. Consequently, research with a focus on GSNS tends to report lower usage frequency and heavy usage incidence rates and, therefore, possibly also lower problematic usage. This suggests that users might activate an averaging response model besides an additive model when answering GSNS.

Keywords: Social Network Sites; Facebook; Twitter; Instagram (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-47595-6_24

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