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Facebook most popular among KT readers

The long wait for readers is over. The results of the KT social media survey are now in even as readers continue to send in their comments.

Some of the results were along expected lines but the sheer range and breadth of reader responses was staggering.

An overwhelming 90 per cent of readers surveyed said Facebook was their favourite social media website with Twitter being the favoured destination of only 6 per cent readers. Yelp narrowly edged MySpace to take third spot in the survey. An even greater percentage of readers – nearly 96 per cent – said they visited a social media site to connect with friends with 2.5 per cent logging on to generate business and 1.75 per cent seeking to promote their website.

Nearly 36 per cent of readers confessed to being addicted to social media, with 28 per cent visiting networking sites every hour and another 34 per cent first thing in the morning. Twenty per cent of Khaleej Times Online readers said they were always online but interestingly, 18 per cent said they were never online.

Over 53 per cent of readers do not think using social networking platforms in school is a good idea, with 20 per cent undecided. It was this part of the survey that attracted some of the most strident responses, with Mamta from Dubai feeling “social networking for schools is totally wrong” and Shadiq Ahamed, also from Dubai, saying it would “take them to the wrong path, distract them and make them lazy”.

A number of our dedicated readers felt the survey was a “good initiative” on the part of KT Online and were “glad to participate”. Some, like Dalia from Dubai, just could not wait for the survey results to be published, with Reina Arca commenting: “I just hope you guys will continue doing this. Keep it up!”Rodney Araujo of Sharjah said he “would love to have the results of the survey” the moment he wrote in while Sureshkumar from Ras Al Khaimah simply said: “Good survey”, a sentiment he shares with Suria Dharma, who wrote in from Lhokseumawe in distant Indonesia.

Many readers felt access to social networking sites should be restricted, not just among children, but even at offices. Sajitha from Abu Dhabi felt “parents should keep a check on the sites their children visit”. Priyanka Anand from Sharjah thinks similarly. “I think children children below 18 should be kept away from all these sites as they get distracted,” she thinks. Fayaz from Dubai argues for “limited net access” in offices to ensure staff productivity does not take a hit and Yazdani Qureshi goes several steps further, saying social networking is “injurious to youth”. Rachel Hernandez from Dubai “is not a fan of some Facebook applications such as Farmville”, dubbing them a “waste of time”. Farhina declares that “parents should make sure that their children are kept far away from the social media ‘dragon’”. She is also concerned about the “lack of control on social networking sites” and points out that “hate groups online are on the rise”.

Arshad Alam Khan expresses a view shared by some others, saying: “Social networking has its pros and cons. It’s up to each individual to chose what is best for him.” But the most balanced view is perhaps expressed by Tom Pattillo of Ras Al Khaimah, who says: “The goal of sharing ideas, working on joint projects, building on the knowledge of peers and teachers… all this could be the legacy of social media. That will only happen,” he warns, “if people of all ages see social media as more than ‘I’m eating breakfast’ or ‘Let’s go to the mall’ or other mundane, trivial, insignificant minutiae of everyday life…”

On a different note, some readers felt there should have been an ‘every now and then’ or ‘whenever I have time/ once daily’ option to the question: “How often do you visit a social networking website?” A few readers felt the survey was a little too short and wanted more questions in future. Orlando Coelho of Dubai added that “there should be a question asking whether users prefer social networks in English and Arabic”. Pakistan’s Mohammad Azhar felt there should have been more answer options, especially ‘I don’t know’. The KT Online editors have taken note of these opinions and will incorporate these suggestions in future surveys.

Overall, most readers echoed Danish Naseem’s opinion that “in today’s world, social media is an effective way to connect with friends and family”. Leejo Joseph John, writing in from India, simply said: “I love social networking.” Udhaya Kumar likes social networking because it helps keep the telephone bills down by cutting down on the need for lengthy calls while Muddasir from Dubai says “it gives me a lot of pleasure and reduces the loneliness of my bachelor life”. Rajnil Dave feels “social networking sites are good to trace out old friends and relatives” but Tasnema from Sharjah has the last word. “Social networking sites are a good way of connecting with our friends as long as we are not using such sites for the wrong reasons. If used in a proper way, the sites serve as a good medium for connecting with our friends and families.”

Responses to the survey are pouring in even now, but unfortunately, publishing the survey results cannot be delayed any longer. We at KT Online thank you for your patronage and invite you to join the ever growing KT Social Network with your friends and family. There are a lot of exciting new initiatives planned. So keep visiting www.khaleejtimes.com for the latest news and features from across the world.