The results of my latest Weekend Poll exploring your use of social media are in, and they’re interesting!

Social media is a fact of life

More than three of every four respondents, 78%, said you use social media both personally and for your career. An additional 4% use it solely for career purposes, while 14% turn to social media for personal purposes only. If you rarely use it, you have that in common with 4% of all respondents.

It’s part of the career for many

Forty-three percent of respondents said this is part of your role. Eight percent of you monitor one or more social media platform, and 10% publish to one or more platforms. An additional 25% of respondents both monitor and publish to one or more platforms. 

As well, another 20% of respondents said you monitor one or more social media platforms as part of your career, though this is not a formal expectation. 

Employers’ social media policies

Increasingly, astute employers establish and routinely review social media policies – and then communicate them to employees. It’s important, if you’re thinking of tweeting, posting or otherwise sharing employer-related information, to familiarise yourself with related policies.

Sixty-seven percent of respondents said your employers have policies related to sharing information and/or photos about the employer on your personal social media accounts. Another 12% said there are no such policies in place, and 21% didn’t know; it’s a good idea to check.

Assistants as brand ambassadors on social media

An impressive 47% of respondents share links or good news about their employers. Sixteen percent of you said this is encouraged within your workplaces. On the other hand, 6% of respondents reported that your employers’ policies preclude such practices. 

More than a quarter of respondents, 29%, prefer to keep your personal lives and career separate and don’t share workplace information on social media. Another 18% haven’t thought to share such information on their social media platforms.

Social media as a professional development resource

Eighty-six percent of respondents said you turn to social media to share information related to your professional associations and networks. Assistants also share (54%) and watch for (40%) information on professional development (PD) events and initiatives on social media.

A pandemic-related upturn in social media usage 

I thought there might be an increase in people turning to social media during this period of time when we’re not connecting as much in person, yet I also saw potential for people to want to get away from screens once their (often remote) workdays are done. So, I asked: Do you find that the degree to which our daily lives are spent in front of screens given the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the extent to which you use social media?

A whopping 60% of respondents said yes; you find yourselves using social media more than before. You’re turning to social media for insights, for advice, for company and/or for support. Eighteen percent said no; the pandemic hasn’t impacted the degree to which they use social media. Another 22%, however, said you find yourselves wanting away from screens and so you are using social media less than before.

I thought it would be interesting to gauge how social media is proving meaningful to readers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thirty-six percent of respondents find it most relevant for sharing professional insights, resources and virtual practices as we work our way through unchartered territory. Another 32% say social media has been most relevant for general networking, staying in touch and up to speed.

For 23% of respondents, social media is proving most relevant for giving and receiving moral support. We know there have been job losses in recent months, and 9% of respondents say social media’s most relevant to them in seeking employment opportunities.

Assistants’ preferred platforms

Your preferred choice of platform can depend on the reason you’re using social media. I listed a number of social media platforms and asked readers to identify which ones you use routinely and occasionally. Facebook topped the list of routinely used platforms, at 59%. Twitter came in second, followed by LinkedIn and Instagram. 

When we combine the percentages of platforms used either routinely or occasionally, though, Instagram (69%) came out on top. Facebook and Twitter were close behind at, respectively, 67% and 66%. LinkedIn rounded out the top four, having been identified as being used either routinely or occasionally by 52% of respondents.

When I asked which social media platform you use most overall, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and then Twitter topped the list.

How much time do you spend on social media?

Sixteen percent of respondents cap your social media time at 30 minutes or less a day. An additional 14% spend somewhere between a half hour to an hour a day on these platforms. More than a third of respondents, 36%, spend one to two hours of your day on social media, and an additional 28% have between two and three hours of social media screen time a day. Another six percent of respondents spend three hours or more hours a day on such platforms; perhaps at least some of this time is career-related, publishing material for others to read, or monitoring what’s been published.

Want to know more? 

You’ll find all the data below.

Read on for a look at all the data from this Weekend Poll.

The data

1. Which of the following best describes your use of social media?

• I use it personally and for my career: 78% of respondents
• I use it solely for personal purposes:  14% of respondents
• I use it solely for my career:  4% of respondents
• I rarely use it: 4% of respondents
• I don’t use it: 0% of respondents 

2. Do you monitor and/or publish to social media channels as part of your career?

• No: 37% of respondents 
• Yes; I publish to AND monitor one or more platforms: 25% of respondents
• I monitor one or more platforms, though it’s not a formal expectation: 20% of respondents
• Yes; I publish to one or more platforms: 10% of respondents
• Yes; I monitor one or more platforms: 8% of respondents

3. If you use social media, have you used your personal account(s) to share information about your place of employment?

• No:  53% of respondents 
• Yes:  47% of respondents 

4. Does your employer have a policy related to sharing information/photos about the employer on personal social media accounts?

• Yes:  67% of respondents 
• I don’t know; I’d better check:  21% of respondents 
• No:  12% of respondents 

5. Do you see yourself as a social media brand ambassador for your employer?

• Yes; I share links and/or good news:  31% of respondents 
• No; I prefer to keep my personal life and workplace separate: 29% of respondents 
• No; I’ve not thought to do so: 18% of respondents  
• Yes, and this is encouraged at our workplace: 16% of respondents 
• No; our policy precludes this: 6% of respondents 

6.  If you use social media, do you use it to share information from or about your professional association(s)/network(s)?

• Yes:  86% of respondents 
• No:  14% of respondents 

7. If you use social media, do you use it to share or access information on professional development (PD)? 

• Yes; I share information on PD events/initiatives:  54% of respondents 
• Yes; I use it to watch for word of PD events/initiatives:  40% of respondents 
• No:  6% of respondents 

8. When it comes to social media and your career, in which of the following ways is it most relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic?

• Sharing professional insights, resources and virtual practices as we work our way through uncharted territory:  36% of respondents 
• General networking – staying in touch and up to speed: 32% of respondents 
• Giving and receiving moral support: 23% of respondents 
• Seeking employment opportunities:  9% of respondents 

9. Do you find that the degree to which our daily lives are spent in front of screens given the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the extent to which you use social media?

• Yes; I find myself using it more – for insights, advice, company and/or support: 60% of respondents
• Yes; I find myself wanting away from screens, and use it less:  22% of respondents 
• No:  18% of respondents 

10. Which messaging platform do you use MOST?

• WhatsApp: 59% of respondents 
• Messenger (FB Messenger): 41% of respondents 
• Telegram: 0% of respondents
• Viber: 0% of respondents 
• WeChat: 0% of respondents 

11. Which of the following platforms do you use?

• Facebook – I use this routinely: 59% of respondents
• Facebook – I use this occasionally: 8% of respondents
• About my Facebook use: I use this more than I used to: 24% of respondents
• About my Facebook use: I use this less than I used to: 8% of respondents 

• Twitter– I use this routinely: 51% of respondents
• Twitter– I use this occasionally: 15% of respondents
• About my Twitter use: I use this more than I used to: 24% of respondents
• About my Twitter use: I use this less than I used to: 10% of respondents 

• LinkedIn– I use this routinely: 43% of respondents
• LinkedIn– I use this occasionally: 9% of respondents
• About my LinkedIn use: I use this more than I used to: 38% of respondents
• About my LinkedIn use: I use this less than I used to: 9% of respondents 

• Instagram – I use this routinely: 37% of respondents
• Instagram – I use this occasionally: 32% of respondents
• About my Instagram use: I use this more than I used to: 27% of respondents
• About my Instagram use: I use this less than I used to: 5% of respondents 

• YouTube – I use this routinely: 19% of respondents
• YouTube– I use this occasionally: 57% of respondents
• About my YouTube use: I use this more than I used to: 19% of respondents
• About my YouTube use: I use this less than I used to: 5% of respondents 

• Pinterest– I use this routinely: 7% of respondents
• Pinterest– I use this occasionally: 69% of respondents
• About my Pinterest use: I use this more than I used to: 7% of respondents
• About my Pinterest use: I use this less than I used to: 17% of respondents 

• Snapchat– I use this routinely: 0% of respondents
• Snapchat– I use this occasionally: 54% of respondents
• About my Snapchat use: I use this more than I used to: 0% of respondents
• About my Snapchat use: I use this less than I used to: 46% of respondents 

• TikTok – I use this routinely: 7% of respondents
• TikTok – I use this occasionally: 43% of respondents
• About my TikTok use: I use this more than I used to: 14% of respondents
• About my TikTok use: I use this less than I used to: 36% of respondents 

12. Taking both career and personal usage into account, which social media platform do you use MOST OVERALL?

• Facebook: 49% of respondents 
• LinkedIn: 35% of respondents 
• Instagram: 9% of respondents 
• Twitter: 7% of respondents 
• YouTube: 0% of respondents 

13. Which social media platform do you use MOST FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT?

• Facebook: 6% of respondents 
• LinkedIn:  78% of respondents 
• Twitter: 8% of respondents 
• Instagram: 0% of respondents 
• YouTube: 8% of respondents 

14. Which social media platform do you use MOST FOR NETWORKING?

• LinkedIn: 78% of respondents 
• Facebook:  6% of respondents 
• Twitter: 8% of respondents 
• YouTube: 8% of respondents 
• Instagram: 0% of respondents 

15. How much time do you estimate you spend on social media in a typical day?

• None: 0% of respondents 
• Up to 15 minutes: 4% of respondents 
• 16-30 minutes: 12% of respondents 
• 31-60 minutes: 14% of respondents 
• 1-2 hours: 36% of respondents 
• 2-3 hours: 28% of respondents 
• 3-4 hours: 4% of respondents 
• >4 hours: 2% of respondents  

16. Do you incorporate social media “detox” breaks in your life?

• Yes, though not on a consistent basis: 50% of respondents 
• No: 25% of respondents 
• Yes; I do so when I’m on vacation: 15% of respondents 
• Yes; I do so on weekends: 10% of respondents 
• Yes; I’m on a permanent detox. I don’t use social media.: 0% of respondents