New Data: 54% of Americans Call Social Media a Net-Negative for Society, Yet 93% Use It Regularly

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Aug 24, 2022, 09:00 ET

Data demonstrates that Americans' desire to participate in online communities outweighs the perceived negativity of social media platforms—but most want healthier online communities.

NEW YORK, Aug. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- OpenWeb, the premium audience relationship platform, today announced the results of a nationwide survey, conducted in partnership with YouGov, with their report Online Communities Report, 2022. The survey explored why and how Americans participate in online communities, with the aim of understanding opportunities to improve the experience for users.

Today, online communities are in large part hosted by social media platforms such as Facebook, Reddit, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. Overwhelmingly, Americans engage in these online communities regularly, even while multiple data points suggest that a majority of those surveyed are not satisfied with the platforms that serve as their hosts. This includes:

A majority (54%) of Americans say the effect of social media on society has been "negative."
Half of Americans (50%) do not think that social media platforms do "enough" to fight against toxicity, trolls, and the spread of false information. Only 22% believe the platforms are currently doing enough.
Yet 93% report using social media regularly and 55% report using at least one platform "multiple times" per day.

Despite the perceived shortcomings of online community today, respondents continue to participate. The survey also sought to understand what motivated that continued participation. Additionally, the survey revealed:

53% of respondents cited a desire to further understand stories, get more perspectives, and understand the debate as their primary reasons for participating in online communities.
This stands in contrast to only 35% who cited "adding [their] own voice" as their main motivation for engaging in online communities.

"This research demonstrates a massive opportunity for publishers," said Nadav Shoval, co-founder and CEO of OpenWeb. "There is real demand for healthy online communities, and widespread dissatisfaction with how the largest platforms today have served as hosts. Publishers can seize this opportunity, filling that gap by transforming their properties—today, amazing creators of content—into true community destinations. That will be a major step toward what users want, and what we need as a society: better, healthier community experiences that bring people together."

The full report is available now on OpenWeb's website at https://info.openweb.com/communityreport

About OpenWeb

OpenWeb's mission is to improve online conversation. As a product company, OpenWeb partners with publishers and brands to build strong, direct relationships with their audiences. OpenWeb's technology empowers its partners to build vibrant communities rooted in healthy conversations and robust social experiences. OpenWeb works with more than 1,000 top-tier publishers, hosting more than 100 million active users each month.

Founded in 2012, OpenWeb has over 295 employees in New York City, Tel Aviv, Kiev, San Diego, Canada, London and Paris and is backed by world-class investors including Insight Partners, Georgian, Entrée Capital, The New York Times Company, Samsung Next, Dentsu, and ScaleUp. To date, the company has raised $223 million in funding and is currently valued at over $1 billion. To learn more about OpenWeb's platform visit OpenWeb.com, or follow @OpenWebHQ on LinkedIn and Twitter.

SOURCE OpenWeb