Facebook the preferred social media choice among Finns

Facebook the preferred social media choice among FinnsPeople in Finland have said that Facebook is their preferred choice when it comes to social media, although a surprisingly high 34 per cent of Finns have revealed that they don’t use social media at all, according to recent research.

The survey, conducted by Taloustutkimus Research, revealed that more than half of the 1,000 people they questioned said they used Facebook, with mobile messaging service WhatsApp coming in second place for preferred social media option. In the past 12 months, social media use in the Nordic country has increased most in the 35- to 49-year-old age group.

Out of 1,000 respondents, 56 per cent used Facebook on a regular basis, 37 per cent WhatsApp and 18 per cent Google+. Not so popular were Instagram and Twitter, with only 18 per cent and 10 per cent using these social media platforms respectively. Meanwhile, a third of respondents admitted not using social media at all.

University of Helsinki social media researcher Suvi Uski noted that young people were continuing to use Facebook, while also branching out to other services. Uski, who is working on a self-image project and looking at how people present themselves on such social media sites, said that the majority of Finns aim to portray themselves as honest people on social media.

Of the respondents, 90 per cent of those between the ages of 15 and 24 used Facebook, in comparison to 21 per cent of those over the age of 65.