More and more connected and more and more online: Italian internauts are now 42 millions and, in the average, they spend 2 hours a day online, using both desktop PCs and mobile devices. From copper to the fiber: since 2014 the number of Adsl networks has decreased of 7,5 million units but, at the same time, Fttc networks have increased of 5,9 million, Ftth have increased of 0,54 millions and Fwa of 0,7 million users  (Broadband Italy is fancying the fiber )

With reference to mobile connections, as certified by the latest Osservatorio sulle Comunicazioni by AgCom, data sim cards have increased from 47,8% to 68,5% of the total and those ensuring an internet connection have reached a total of 54,5 million units, while the overall data traffic has recorded an increase of 60% compared to 2017. But this is not all: the average monthly consumption, i.e. 4,27 Giga/month, has increased of  55%.

A few surprises regarding the most loved social networks

What we do online during those 120 minutes is no surprise at all: we surf social media! Our country seems not to have been affected by the Cambridge Analytica scandal involving Facebook. Indeed, unlike what has happened abroad, in 2018 Italian users reached up to 34.8 millions, with an increase of +29.8% against 2017 (Since 2017 Facebook has lost 15 million users in the United States )

Mr. Zuckerberg’s other platform, Instagram, is also among our favorites. In 12 months users have reached 23.4 millions, with an increase of 61.4%. And also the professional social LinkedIn has achieved positive results: 16.5 million users and an increase of +68.4%. Surprisingly, then, Pinterest has won over Twitter (9.4 millions) with its 10.3 million users (+71.7% since 2017).

Social media users’ identikit may be useful to marketers

Thanks to its Composition Index, AgCom explains who social media users are. And such profiles are useful for brands which can use them to identify the platforms to direct their marketing campaigns to, thus better targeting their products.

According to data, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram and Snapchat users are mainly women. Twitter fans are, instead, mainly men (Analysis of the Italian Social Media Audience ).

Predictably, Snapchat users are aged up to 34 (Millennials and GenZ), LinkedIn users are mainly 34-44-year-old professionals and Facebook users are aged between 35-64. Pinterest and Twitter are equally used by the under 65.

In terms of education, against the common prejudice which defines social media users as poorly educated, the majority of them have achieved at least a high school diploma. Furthermore, in the case of Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest most users can boast a university degree.

My advice to marketers is, then, to read such report and analyze it carefully. It may be useful from more than one point of view.

What do you think about these data? Tweet @agostinellialdo.

To find out more about the digital world, you may read my latest book entitled: “People Are Media”

If you liked this post, you may also like “Market and Millennials: a solution may come from the Blockchain”