Social and Media Networks - UK - May 2018
Overview
 
What you need to know 
Privacy and data sharing security have been brought firmly into attention in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica Facebook scandal. Trust in the network has been hit with the personal data of some 87 million accounts compromised, while there has been criticism of the site’s failure to control misleading information and hate speech. 

Despite this, Facebook continues to be by far the most popular social media network, followed by YouTube and Twitter. Overall social media usage is up over the last year, despite the trend towards digital detox. However, with temporary breaks from social media more popular than permanent account deletion, the trend could still have a detrimental impact on advertising. 

The vast majority of people on social media are sharing content as well as viewing, with a strong preference for photos and images. This has been underpinned by continued improvements in smartphone cameras and improved data plans from network providers, allowing for instant uploads of high-quality images. This is reflected by smartphones being the most frequent device used to access social media networks. 

Scope of this Report
For the purposes of this Report, Mintel distinguishes between ‘social networks’ and ‘media networks’ based on a network’s core function(s). Social and media networks are typically discussed together in this Report (referred to in general by the terms ‘social media’, ‘social networks’ or simply ‘networks’), except where noted, because of overlaps in functionality. 

Social networks 
Mintel defines social networks as any networks the primary function of which is person-to-person interaction. Examples falling under Mintel’s definition include: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. 

Media networks 
Mintel defines media networks as any network the primary function of which is to share media with other users. Examples falling under Mintel’s definition include: Pinterest, YouTube, Tumblr and Periscope. Although Instagram and Snapchat are technically media networks, the hybrid identity of the platforms makes placing them in either category potentially misleading. As per the above, they are therefore referred to using the general terms listed above.