New research has revealed that when it comes to being social on the internet, women have it over men in terms
of their use in Tasmania and while it’s too early to say if the gap is widening, there are some signs that men are
being left behind in their use of social media platforms.

The Font Social Media Index has consistently found over the past three years that 70 per cent of Tasmanian
women spend more time on social media using platforms such as Facebook, compared to 64 per cent of their
male counterparts who seem to prefer more visual platforms such as YouTube.

Font Public Relations Managing Director Becher Townshend said those seeking to communicate with those on
social media, can no longer can have a blanket approach, but must now tailor their message to each social
media platform.

“Overall some 70 per cent of Tasmanian women have used social media in the last year compared to 64 per cent
of men, representing a six per cent gap and comes on a gap of six per cent in 2012 and five per cent in 2011,”
Mr Townshend said.

“However, when you break it down to particular platforms, Facebook has a whopping 59 per cent use by all
females in Tasmania compared to a paltry 46 per cent for men, whereas YouTube has 54 per cent of men using
it compared with 52 per cent of women.

“If these figures are anything to go by, clearly men like looking at pictures, while women prefer chatting with
family and friends.”

Mr Townshend said for those seeking to communicate on the internet, now it is not just a matter of picking a
platform, but also considering what is attractive to men and women.

“Women seem to prefer a story that they can identify with and tell family and friends about, so a Facebook
campaign that captures the imagination would be an ideal way to talk to women, while for men it would be a
catchy clip on YouTube that would be more likely to succeed,” he said.

“Overall, social media usage in Tasmania has grown by some 15 per cent over the last three years and
increasing use shows no signs of slowing, with usage by people aged 70 and over increasing by nearly one third
to some 20 per cent.

“Facebook still remains the most popular form of social media in Tasmania with 53 per cent usage, followed by
YouTube at 46 per cent, however platforms such as Twitter continue to grow in support at 12 per cent, while
LinkedIn has also grown to some 11 per cent.”
Font PR Managing Director Becher Townshend