Insightrix Research Inc. recently created a poll that asked the people of Saskatchewan how social media impacts their lives.
A total of 804 randomly selected SaskWatch Research panel members had participated in the online research study between Feb. 5 and 8.
Insightrix said the quotas were set by age, gender and region to match the general population of Saskatchewan, and therefore, the data did not need to be weighted.
The results indicated that 60 per cent of social media users in Saskatchewan has been impacted in both positive and negative ways.
The rest of the results are as follows:
- 14 per cent felt it didn’t change their lives;
- 11 per cent said social media had a positive impact on their lives;
- Six per cent indicated it had a negative impact on their lives;
- Four per cent of Saskatchewan residents do not use social media;
- Three per cent has quit using social media altogether; and
- Two per cent were unsure of the impact.
Although some people said that social media has had a positive impact on their lives, more than one-third feel the behaviour of others on social media has had a negative effect.
When asked how social media has changed the way people are viewing society, 59 per cent of social media users in the province felt that social media has led them to have a more negative view on society.
Additionally, 22 per cent of people had indicated it has had no impact on how they view society, while only seven per cent felt it has led to a more positive view of society. The remaining 12 per cent of users were unsure of its societal effects.
Social media users in the province aged 55 or older are more likely to indicate social media has no impact on how they view society.
Witnessing Online Harassment
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The negative perceptions of social media are likely influenced by people who have witnessed someone other than themselves being harassed on social media.
Overall, more than 55 per cent of social media users in the province indicated that they have seen someone else be a victim of harassment on social media.
The number who have seen harassment on social media is higher among those between the ages of 18 and 34.
When asked what typed of harassment users have witnessed other people experience on social media, 70 per cent reported witnessing racial harassment, 59 per cent reported harassment based on political affiliation, 59 per cent reported harassment based on sexism/gender, 57 per cent witnessed body shaming, 56 per cent reported religious intolerance and finally, 55 per cent was due to threats or intimidation. More than half had reported witnessing homophobic/sexuality-based harassment.
In fact, research proved that social media users between the ages of 18 and 34 are more likely to report having witnessed revenge porn, harassment of disabled persons, impersonation/catfishing and sexist/gender-based harassment, and people with children are more likely to indicate that they have witnessed threats and intimidation on social media.
Victims of Harassment
Two-in-10 social media users in the province reported having once been a victim of harassment on social media.
Users between the ages of 18 and 34, as well as those of Indigenous ancestry, are more likely to indicate having been a victim of harassment on social media.
When asked what type of harassment is being experienced, 47 per cent of users indicated the harassment was due to threats and intimidation, 34 per cent indicated body shaming, 28 per cent said harassment came from sexist or gender-based comments and 24 per cent reported political affiliation.
Insightrix added that they had given the respondents the option to make multiple selections, which is why these percentages total more than 100 per cent.
Potential for Discontinuation
The negative impact users have reported appears to be taking quite the toll on the people who are using social media in Saskatchewan.
Thirty-four per cent of users indicated that harassment they have seen, and continue to see, on social media has, at one point, made them want to discontinue the use of one or more forms of social media altogether.
Another nine percent indicated they have already discontinued at least one form due to harassment, and the final 57 per cent do not plan to discontinue their use.
Research Details
As the research was conducted online, results are considered to be a non-probability proportion sample, meaning margins of error are not applicable, however, the margin of error can be estimated to be 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20 for questions answered by all respondents.
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