Women and girls more avid users of social media

Almost 90 percent of people over 16 in Finland use the internet, with 64 percent going online several times a day -- particularly females, says Statistics Finland.

Twitter kännykässä. — Image: Yle / Lahti

Females in Finland are slightly more active on social media than their male counterparts, especially among those who check their accounts many times a day. That’s according to a study released by Statistics Finland on Thursday. The central statistics office polled residents of Finland aged 16 to 89 on their use of online services.
Just over half of all respondents had used social media within the past three months. The figure was up from last year in all age groups except those over 75.
Fifty-two percent of women and girls now use social media, compared to 49 percent of boys and men. There is a larger gap in younger demographics.

Men more passive on social media

In the 16-24 age group, 93 percent take part in online communities, compared with less than one third of those aged 55-65.
The biggest gender difference was in the level of activity on social media. Only a quarter of males check their profiles several times a day, whereas 37 percent of their female counterparts do.
Overall, about a third of all of those interviewed say they log on to social media sites several times a day, with close to half doing so on a daily basis.
Nearly one in four females describes herself as an active user of social media, while only 14 percent of males see themselves this way. Men and boys were also much more likely to describe themselves as passive followers of online communities.

Tablets surge

Overall, nearly nine out 10 respondents use the internet, with 64 percent going online several times a day.
The latest figures also confirm other data showing a rapid increase in the uptake of tablet computers and smartphones. Thirty percent of Finnish households now have at least one tablet, up from less than 20 percent the year before. Smartphone usage climbed from 50 to 60 percent over the same period.
Meanwhile almost half of those surveyed had made an online purchase in recent months, up by four percentage points from 2013.