While nearly nine in 10 of people in Malta go online at least once a day, according to National Statistics Office data, 64 per cent of social media users only view other persons’ content and comments, without taking further action such as sharing or creating new content.

The gap between social media creators and non-creators was published in a survey on social media use conducted by Misco in association with the Ornate Group.

The results show that there are certain noticeable trends, in terms of social media usage, which are emerging. While Facebook is still the social media network which is most accessed, there is a trend of increased usage of Instagram and YouTube. Increasingly, usage of social media takes place on a smartphone or a laptop and less on a desktop PC or a tablet.

Meanwhile, the use of certain apps, such as social networking apps, news apps and retail apps, is increasing, while the usage of others, such as travel apps, is decreasing, falling sharply in 2020.

Rebecca Gera, director of Misco, commented that: “The results of this year’s survey, which is the third wave of such a survey, the previous ones having been conducted in 2018 and 2020, are certainly influenced by the impact of COVID-19 on people’s behaviour. However, it is expected that some of this behaviour has now become entrenched and the emerging trends are expected to consolidate in future waves”.

A part of the survey focussed on advertising and the results are showing a decline in exposure to offline advertising while exposure to online advertising is increasing.

72 per cent of respondents said that they shop online, a slight decrease over 2020, which is attributable solely to the fact that there was a significant drop to the number of persons who purchased airline tickets or hotel stays online, given the travel restrictions. On the other hand, shopping for clothes, footwear, gifts, groceries, beauty care and personal care products has increased significantly.

Andrew Zammit-Manduca, founder of the Ornate Group, said: “These results demonstrate the need for businesses to have a social media strategy which is fully integrated in their marketing strategy. Businesses have an opportunity to embed the use of social media in their marketing efforts in a coherent and consistent manner, which would enable them to achieve a return on their investment”.

Copies of the report may be obtained from Misco by sending an e-mail at research@miscomalta.com.