Facebook now pretty much ubiquitous among SA students

If you’re a South African university student and don’t use Facebook, then you’re part of increasingly tiny minority. How tiny? Well according to new research from World Wide Worx and Student Brands, just three percent of students in the country aren’t active on the world’s most popular social network.

According to the study, Facebook is by far the most popular social network among students. Twitter came in second at 67%, followed in third place by YouTube, with 44%. The most recent entrant into the social arena, WeChat, has already reached 22% of the student market.

Facebook’s lead shouldn’t be all that surprising, given its 1.39-billion active users, as well as the fact that it was originally built as a way for students to stay connected. The results are also interesting in the differences they illustrate between South African students and their global counterparts. A good example is ephemeral picture messaging service Snapchat, which is used by around 77% of US students, but doesn’t even feature on the survey.

Read more: 5 things we learned from Facebook’s quarterly results

The survey, backed by Standard Bank, also shows that Instagram is on the rise with 40% of students saying that they use the photo-sharing network. A fairly decent proportion — around 36% — also have their eyes on life after university and are active on LinkedIn.

“The survey is a powerful indication that the student market – which comprises future working professionals – is embracing social networking,” said Vuyo Mpako, Head of Innovation and Channel Design at Standard Bank. “It is therefore important to note that social networking will become a central component of any services provided to this market in the future.”

When it comes to instant messaging, the picture continues to look bleak for local service Mxit, which was once de rigueur among the country’s young people. According to the survey, just 17% of students now use the service, which has been overtaken by the likes of WhatsApp (92%), Facebook Messenger (55%) and BBM (48%).

Read more: Mxit: the rise and collapse of ‘Africa’s largest social network’

“Communication is at the heart of students’ use of technology,” says Daryl Bartkunsky, Managing Director of the Student Brands youth portal. “They are also extremely budget-conscious, so anything that cuts the cost of making contact will appeal to them.”

The survey also shows that Wi-Fi hotspots are students’ most important form of connecting to the Internet, while their campus is the most common location for connecting.

When it comes to the devices used to achieve those connections, the findings reveal that 38% of respondents are using Android devices, overtaking the previous leading operating system, BlackBerry, which is still used by a high 32%. A little more than one in ten students – only 11% – still use feature phones, while the Windows Mobile operating system is used by seven percent of the sample, marginally ahead of Apple’s iOS. BlackBerry’s 32% keeps it in the number one spot in terms of brand of phone used by students, ahead of Samsung at 27% and Nokia at 21%.

Given a choice though, it seems that most students would buy an iPhone if they had the money, with one in two students expressing a preference for the shiny Apple product. Samsung came in second at 29%, and Sony in third place at nine percent.

Read more: Check out these 8 ingenious uses for your old iPhone or Android

According to World Wide Worx MD Arthur Goldstuck, that desire among students is however unlikely to become a reality in the near future. “There is a vast affordability gap between what students wish they could get and what they intend to get,” he said.

According to student intentions, 43% will buy a Samsung phone next, with the iPhone coming in second at 17%, followed by Nokia at 11% and BlackBerry still making a showing at 10%.
A key question in the survey, namely whether students felt they were addicted to social networks, showed that it was an issue, but not an overriding one. Only 11% admitted to being very addicted to social networking, although a further 43% said they were “a little addicted”. Instant messaging, on the other hand, saw double the proportion – 20% – admit to being very addicted. Just over a third, or 35%, said they were a little addicted.

Read more: Could digital addiction boost your marketing efforts?

Exactly a quarter of students acknowledged that they gave their smartphones and social networks priority over studying for tests and exams, and a similar proportion – 25% – admitted using these during lectures instead of paying attention. One in five said they were emotionally affected by what they saw or shared on social media.

That said, the vast majority (around 89%) believe that technology like smartphones, the internet and social media helped them research better, while 67% said that it helped them increase their knowledge of the subject they were studying. Other strong benefits cited were that it helped sharing information (60%), learning studying techniques (42%), and having a channel for discussions with lecturers (38%).

“Technology delivers both the positive and negative for students,” said Goldstuck. “The overwhelming finding of the survey, though, is that it enhances their academic and social lives and their lifestyles in general.”