College Students are Twitter-Less
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University of South Florida contacted us and shared some interesting research about Twitter. Here is what William Cooper and his student’s want to share with you.
Millennials are not ?friending? or ?tweeting? about companies and brands as widely assumed
TAMPA, APRIL 14, 2009 — In an era when ?Tweets? have little to do with pet shops, are
Millennials all they are cracked up to be in the social media universe?
A recent survey conducted by a research team from the Walter E. Griscti
chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America at the
University of South Florida reveals that this generation does not
understand the business applications of new social media sites like
Twitter.
Of the 250 Florida college students surveyed, 99 percent use social
networking sites. However, only 15 percent have an account with Twitter
and 34 percent have never even heard of the site. Some 58 percent of
the students who have Twitter accounts never use the service or rarely
log-on.
?There is a stereotype that because students are always plugged in that
they understand the strategic uses of social media sites,? said Kelli
Burns, professor at the University of South Florida and author of the
forthcoming ?Celeb 2.0: How Social Media Foster our Fascination with
Popular Culture.? ?Businesses have a misconception that students know
how to use Twitter; these findings prove otherwise.?
The research team survey results reveal two distinct findings. First,
college students are not active Twitter users.
More importantly, they are not interested in interacting with brands
through social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.
A common misconception is that sites like Twitter offer an innovative
way for advertisers and companies to interact with the young
demographic. However, 75 percent of students say they would be ?not at
all interested in? or ?don?t care about? following brands, companies,
or organizations on Twitter. Many companies assume that social media
enables college students to be smarter consumers. Sites like Twitter,
social media analysts claim, act as a medium for the new two-way
communication between brands and consumers. Given the media chatter
about the importance of social networking for corporations, there is a
disconnect between the promise of social media and reality.
The research team?s results reveal that a mere 6 percent of college
students follow companies and only 4 percent follow brands on social
media sites. These findings suggest that if corporations and
communicators continue to bet on college students using social media
sites effectively, they may come up empty handed. The fact is that
college students use social media sites primarily for keeping in touch
with friends, not for networking or brand interaction. Until
Millennials become less weary of this interaction, the gap between what
business professionals expect and what college students actually know
will continue to widen. About the Walter E. Griscti Chapter of PRSSA at
the University of South Florida Since its founding, the Walter E.
Griscti Chapter of PRSSA at the University of South Florida has
developed into a top-tier chapter filled with talented students eager
to enhance their knowledge about public relations. Involvement in the
chapter enables members to network with professionals and peers, learn
about
publish articles in its newsletter, participate in the national Bateman
competition, volunteer in the community, and attend socials each month.
The chapter works closely with the Tampa Bay chapter of PRSA and the
Tampa Bay chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) to
provide numerous networking opportunities for its members. These strong
relationships allow members to work face-to-face with those already in
the industry.
For more information please visit, http://prssausf.webs.com
