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<p>Most research examining social media use has examined adolescents and young adults, but usage has been increasing across all ages. In the early period of social media, each platform served a singular or primary function, but platforms have now adopted multiple functions which challenge our ability to categorize platforms and understand their impact on human experience. This study aimed to: (1) estimate prevalence of social media platform use across the adult population (aged 18 + years) of Ontario, Canada, as a function of sex, age, and income; (2) explore the structure of (a) social media platform use and (b) motivations for use to inform subsequent research including validation of new measures of social media use. A quota-based population-level web survey (<i>N</i> = 4,017) was conducted between September 28 and November 24, 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prevalence of social media use was 87%, ranging from 2% for Tumblr and Yelp to 71% for Facebook. Whereas females reported more prevalent past 30-day use of Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, TikTok, and Zoom, males reported more prevalent use of LinkedIn, Reddit, and Twitter. Typically, use of most social media platforms decreased with age. Factor analysis of frequency of social media platform use identified four factors (Work, Quick Consumption, Textual Discussion, and Visual Discussion). Factor analysis of motivations for social media use identified five factors (Social, Self-Presentation, Work, Self-Improvement, and Entertainment). Internal consistency and correlations between factors were stronger for motivations factors than platform use frequency factors. Results support further validation and exploration of the measures’ potential utility.</p>

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Social Media Use and Motivations for Use Among Adults in Ontario, Canada: Exploring Prevalence and Dimensionality in a Cross-Sectional Survey

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月21日

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  • Christine M. Wickens,
  • Gina Stoduto,
  • Sila Demir,
  • Marcos Sanches,
  • Anca R. Ialomiteanu,
  • Branka Agic,
  • Steven Cook,
  • Tara Elton-Marshall,
  • Hayley A. Hamilton,
  • Sayo Ibsa,
  • Evelyn Vingilis,
  • Lena Quilty

摘要

Most research examining social media use has examined adolescents and young adults, but usage has been increasing across all ages. In the early period of social media, each platform served a singular or primary function, but platforms have now adopted multiple functions which challenge our ability to categorize platforms and understand their impact on human experience. This study aimed to: (1) estimate prevalence of social media platform use across the adult population (aged 18 + years) of Ontario, Canada, as a function of sex, age, and income; (2) explore the structure of (a) social media platform use and (b) motivations for use to inform subsequent research including validation of new measures of social media use. A quota-based population-level web survey (N = 4,017) was conducted between September 28 and November 24, 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prevalence of social media use was 87%, ranging from 2% for Tumblr and Yelp to 71% for Facebook. Whereas females reported more prevalent past 30-day use of Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, TikTok, and Zoom, males reported more prevalent use of LinkedIn, Reddit, and Twitter. Typically, use of most social media platforms decreased with age. Factor analysis of frequency of social media platform use identified four factors (Work, Quick Consumption, Textual Discussion, and Visual Discussion). Factor analysis of motivations for social media use identified five factors (Social, Self-Presentation, Work, Self-Improvement, and Entertainment). Internal consistency and correlations between factors were stronger for motivations factors than platform use frequency factors. Results support further validation and exploration of the measures’ potential utility.