One in three Irish adults has a fake social media account
Almost one-third (32%) of adults in Ireland have a fake social media account according to the inaugural Connected Lives survey.
Conducted by Censuswide on behalf of Pure Telecom, the research found that 44% of men admitted to having a fake account, compared to 28% of women. Half of adults aged 26 and under confessed to having a fake account.
Of those who had a bogus account, 25% said they use it to view people’s posts and accounts anonymously, while 19% said it enables them to hide their identity while engaging in controversial discussions online. The same proportion have a fake account so that they can stay under the radar of potential and current employers, clients or colleagues.
The survey found that the average adult in Ireland has 4.4 social media accounts. Juggling an average of 5.6 social media accounts each, Gen Z (adults aged 26 and under) have the largest number of social media accounts. This is followed by Millennials (27-42) with 4.1; Gen X (43-58) with 3.4; and Baby Boomers (59-77) with 2.3 accounts. The research found that 23% of adults have opened at least one social media account in the last 12 months, while 15% have deleted an account.
The survey also found that 39% of adults have people who they consider to be friends, but with whom they have only ever interacted digitally. This rises to 53% for Gen Z and continues to decline throughout the generations: Millennials (36%), Gen X (26%) and Baby Boomers (23%).
Pure Telecom’s research also explored the most common social media blunders, including one-third (34%) of people have scrolled through a person’s feed and liked a post from a long time ago. Elsewhere, 22% voted for sending an embarrassing message to the wrong person or group. Additionally, 18% accidentally commented on the wrong post or image. Lastly, 15% accidentally shared a post or image that was intended solely for the eyes of close friends or family.
Paul Connell, chief executive officer, Pure Telecom, said: “Social media continues to be an integral tool for people to connect with one another. It has become such a part of our everyday lives that our definition of friendships has changed. Now, as the power of connection allows people to meet and keep in touch from all over the world, a significant proportion of us are enjoying friendships that are entirely online.
“Many of us will probably find some comfort in our research, as it shows us that there are people just like us out there who have committed social media ‘no-nos’ in the past. With the online world playing such a significant role in our lives, these blunders can leave us seriously red-faced.”
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