Social Scots take web lead

Senior News Reporter

Tuesday 29 May 2012

PEOPLE in Scotland use online social networking sites more than any other part of the UK, with almost half regularly accessing the likes of Facebook and Twitter, a study has shown.

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BRIAN DONNELLY

Research by BT shows 48% of those using the internet north of the Border regularly access social networking sites, compared to 20% in Northern Ireland and almost 43% in Wales. In England, the figures are 33% in the north-east, 39% in the south-west and 45.7% in London.

Last night an expert said Scotland's history as a politically engaged society that "likes to talk about itself" may be one reason for the findings.Social networks are equal to news and current affairs websites in terms of popularity north of the border, with those sites also regularly accessed by slightly more than 48% of Scottish internet users.These were closely followed by information websites, such as Wikipedia, at almost 43% and online shopping at just over 41%.The poll, involving more than 2000 people, showed women were twice as dependent on social media as men, with 18% of females compared to 7% of males admitting they would miss social networking sites the most if the internet no longer existed.An increasing reliance is also shown in economic activity online as it was found that if the internet no longer existed administrative tasks such as online banking and booking appointments would be most missed (27.6%) followed by knowledge and information websites (20%). Almost one in five women (19%) said they used the internet to research the best online deals and online shopping compared to 15% of men.Dr Eamonn O'Neill, social media expert and journalism lecturer at Strathclyde University in Glasgow, said the net had become "an extension of behavioural traits that we all had pre-digital expansion". He added: "The survey does indicate though that serious amounts of users are online daily, which means at some point the means of technology will tip towards causing new habits rather than reflecting existing ones."The statistics also indicate Scots are far more engaged with news and current affairs sites than anywhere else in the UK."This isn't really a shock, because Scotland has historically always been a politically engaged society and likes to talk to itself about itself."The fact that in demographic terms and in mile-by-mile acreage we're a small country, one which could easily fit into a single American state for example, ensures news travels fast. It's also in the character of the people to take a pride in being engaged."BT Scotland director Brendan Dick said: "This research makes it clearer than ever how Scotland and the UK as a whole have embraced the internet across all aspects of life and, in particular, shows the different way UK men and women use the internet."People now take for granted that they can manage their life all in one place, from shopping and banking to entertainment and social media."

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Social Scots take web lead

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