Social media has impacted us all, even those who only post occasionally. And sure, many realize that they spend “a lot” of time on social media — but how much, exactly, is a lot?
According to GWI, a platform for global consumer research, Americans spend about two and a half hours per day on social media. That equates to about 5% of their life, or 3.81 years. We spend the most time on Tiktok and YouTube, with both sites seeing an average visit duration of about 2 and a half hours.
Teens are the biggest users, spending about 3 hours per day scrolling, posting and commenting. Overall, in each age group, women spend more time than men do on social media.
Whether you see social media as good or bad, there can be no doubt that it has changed the landscape of our everyday lives. Nina Marquez has been thinking about the role social media plays in our community, for good or for ill.
She says that she can see both the positive and negative aspects.
“I think social media has a great side for people who need medical help, to build support for a community and in helping small businesses,” said Marquez.
She recalled a recent event where a woman was looking for transportation for a relative who needed medical care. That woman was having a difficult time finding someone to transport her relative due to terrible weather conditions, and a ride was eventually found via social media.
“She posted a lot on Facebook and a lot of people came together and she did end up getting her family members where they needed to go,” said Marquez.
“That was really nice to see that happen so fast.”
She concedes, however, that there is also a darker side of social media.
“It also has a negative side with people sharing opinions on things like politics, religion and your basic community drama,” said Marquez. “Some things don’t need to be posted publicly.”
She added that, sometimes, social media has a tendency to increase misinformation or rumors in town.
“I think that’s generally what happens anyway,” said Marquez. “Like a bad game of telephone.”
