An analysis performed at national level, on people between the ages of 18 and 60, both from the rural and urban areas, revealed the typology of the Romanian who spends a lot of time on Facebook and Tiktok, but also the categories of information they are looking for.
Low -income Romanians spend more time on Tiktok and Facebook
Romanians with low incomes, under 3,000 lei per month, mainly use social networks to keep up to date in Romania and in the world, spending more time on Facebook and Tiktok than those with high incomes.
A recent study, conducted on a sample of 1,211 respondents, between the ages of 18 and 60, from the urban and rural areas, offers a detailed image of how Romanians use social networks. The analysis reveals not only differences between the chosen platforms, but also significant differences between the favorite and distributed content types, according to age and gender.
The top of the favorite Romanian social networks: Facebook remains leader
The most used social network among Romanians is Facebook, over 85% of respondents with active accounts, followed by Instagram with 62% and Tiktok with 37%. As for communication applications, the first place is WhatsApp, with 98%of active respondents, followed by Facebook Messenger (54%) and Direct Instagram (32%).
According to the study, people with revenues under 3,000 lei a month prefer to inform, in a percentage of 44.28%, from social networks. In contrast, Romanians with revenues between 10,001 and 20,000 lei month opt for specialized news websites. The choice to obtain the information from specialized sources offers greater confidence to the reader, these being, most of the times, verified and validated, which reduces the risk of viralize fake news and erroneous or non -veridal information.
How much time do Romanians spend on social media daily
Another aspect analyzed in the study is the time spent daily on social networks. The differences are significant depending on the level of study of the respondents: 30% of those with completed high school states that they spend on average 2-4 hours on social networks each day, and those with 15% postgraduate studies.
And the income influences the time spent on social networks: 28% of people with a monthly salary below 3,000 lei spend daily between 2 and 4 hours, while only 14% of those who earn over 10,000 lei do the same.
“Money does not bring happiness, but it deeply influences information behaviors. The differences become even more visible when we analyze the time spent daily on these platforms: the higher the income and the level, the lower the exposure to the social media content. Daily.”, Explains Bogdan-Costin Fârșirotu, the president of the APSAP training center and the founder of the Cursuri-functionari.ro platform.
As for marital status, single people spend much more time on these platforms, 62% of them saying that they spend on average 2-4 hours a day. Instead, the respondents who stated that they are in a relationship have stated this in a percentage of 38%. The explanation could be that people who are in a relationship prefer to spend more time with their partner and have more “responsibilities” imposed by the relationship.
The results of the study carried out by the APSAP training center offer an interesting perspective on the social habits of Romanians. 41% of the respondents say that they spend a daily time socializing face to face with the life partner outside the house, and 40% say the same about meetings with friends or family. These percentages show a surprising tendency towards direct interaction, especially in a period when social networks dominate communication.
Romanians in the rural area are predominantly informed of social networks
Romanians choose their information sources according to the environment in which they live and the degree of confidence they give to the press. If in cities 30% of respondents prefer specialized news websites, the first place is owned by social networks (37%), followed by websites and television. Thus, we can appreciate that in the rural area we can speak of a higher percentage of misinformation and manipulation towards the people living in the city.
Romanians contradict themselves in their own statements
Ask what most often use social networks, Romanians have a well -defined top: 34.5% for information and news, 22% for entertainment and 18% for communication with friends and family. At this question, education is in the last places with only 8%.
“However, to a trap question that targeted the type of content that attracts the most Romanians, they answer in a social desire, 67% of the 1,211 respondents saying that they are attracted to the educational content. Also, 34% of the respondents say that they consume content in the shape of the images, 25% short and dynamic videos and only 14% of them watch medium length broadcasts or podcasts. That’s why we ask the question, how can education be done through images and videos of maximum 2-3 minutes? On platforms such as YouTube there are numerous channels that offer educational and interactive content, but it seems that this is not the one preferred by Romanians, the leading place belonging to Tiktok“Explains Aylin David, an analyst at the APSAP Training Center.
Discrepancies between distribution and consumption of content: 22% of those who claim to distribute educational content are not interested in this type of content
Users of social networks frequently choose to distribute content they consider interesting or relevant. The reasons behind this type of behavior are diverse: some personally identify with the message transmitted, while others consider it relevant to their concerns. In addition, the desire to be accepted in a particular group or community can influence the decision to give “share”.
Also, many online contests ask users to distribute content to participate, thus contributing to the rapid spread of information in the digital environment. Social networks are no longer only communication spaces, but also strong tools for promotion and interaction in various communities.
However, the analysis of the collected data highlights that there is a significant difference between the types of content that users effectively follow and distribute. For example, about 22% of those who say that they distribute educational content recognize that, in reality, they do not follow this type of content. Similarly, 42% of respondents distributing news indicates that they do not actively consume information in this category. This inconsistency can contribute to the spread of misinformation, because distribution without critical information can help to propagate false news.
According to the study, the main content categories distributed by users are educational ones (30%), followed by entertainment (18%), fun content (16%) and news (14%).
Gender differences in content distribution
The theory of gender socialization claims that gender identities and preferences are not innate, but are modeled by social influences, such as family, education and media.
Analyzing the data of the respondents, I noticed that 32% of women are interested in educational content, 19% entertainment and 15% motivational content. Instead, men show interest in other types of materials, respectively 18% of them prefer news and 23% sports content.
How well Romanians believe that they can identify fake news and what role the algorithms are playing in terms of decisions I make
“If we made a comparison between the results obtained in a study conducted by the European Union in 2023 on identifying the false content and verifying the veracity of the information accessed online and the results of our study we notice that 70% of young people between the ages of 18-30 believe that they can identify Fake News, compared to 36% European average. The quite large difference between Romanians and the European average surprises us and confirms that we have an increased tendency of excessive valuation in relation to the population in Europe”, Explains Anca Bașturea, an analyst in the APSAP Training Center.
The algorithms of the social platforms are designed to customize the displayed content, depending on the user’s profile, the interactions it has in the online environment and its preferences. In the case of those who have difficulty identifying false news, this mechanism can contribute to strengthening certain beliefs, by repeated exposure to a certain type of content. Thus, users can especially see information that confirms their existing opinions, reducing contact with various or even opposite perspectives, thus reaching the strengthening of ideas that turn into beliefs.
To navigate more efficiently in the digital space, the development of critical thinking and information verification skills becomes essential. Increasing the rank of awareness on how algorithms and their impact works can help users to form more balanced opinions, make informed decisions and develop other skills such as: recognizing emotional manipulation (sensational titles), analyzing images and videos with the help of “tools”.
Protection of mobile devices: security habits of Romanians
9 out of 10 Romanians use a method of protection for the security of the phone, regardless of gender, age or marital status, motivating the need for security (banking data), autonomy and control, limits and even fear of abuse. About 40% of people in a relationship allow your partner to have access to your mobile phone. In contrast, almost 90% of single people say that no one has access to the phone, except for family members.
The results of the study carried out by the APSAP training center offer a complex image of the way in which Romanians “interact” with the online environment. The preference of young people for entertainment platforms such as Tiktok, the differences between the sources of information according to the environment of origin and the discrepancies between the types of content distributed and consumed are factors that could influence the long -term perception and communication of information in society. Also, gender and age differences in the use of social networks highlight the need for communication strategies adapted to the specifics of each segment, to counteract the misinformation phenomenon and promote a critical and responsible information consumption.
The study not only highlights the current trends, but also provides valuable data for the decision makers, the education system, the communication specialists who are obliged to adapt their contents, the presentation and evaluation according to the dynamics of the information consumption in the digital age.
