Chapter 1 - What You Need to Know
Social media has become an integral part of Kiwi life for a short period. This has not come without challenges, of course. But on the whole, social media has been a force for good. It has provided a platform for connecting people of all ages, genders, and backgrounds. It has helped civil society groups, charities, and NGOs achieve far-reaching goals. And businesses have found new, innovative ways to market their products and services. In short, social media has allowed for far-reaching discussion and collaboration.
New Zealanders are among the world’s most prolific users of social media. According to 2018 statistics, over 80% of Kiwis use social media. This makes us the world's third-most prolific social media users, behind only the Philippines and Indonesia. And while younger Kiwis aged 18-24 are the most likely demographic to use social media, older Kiwi generations are not shying away from it. More and more New Zealanders aged 55 and over are using social media. This can be attributed to the fact that social media has become accessible to everyone, regardless of age.
The most extensive user base in New Zealand. Which is mainly used to connect with family, friends and brands. It is the most used for advertising due to its massive user base and suite of business tools, providing low-cost advertising to most New Zealand homes and businesses.
A strongly visual network with a younger audience than Facebook. Over half the network users are registered as females. The sweet spot of the age demographic is 25-35, with a strong influencer network supported by Facebook's ad network.
The professional network is used largely by business professionals aged 25 to 34, making up the largest user group (1 4 million). It is mostly used as a digital CV and online networking. But, over recent years, the user trend has been driven by LinkedIn into more thought leadership content.
Once the king of social media, Twitter has found its place in New Zealand as a news aggregator. It is predominantly used by media, journalists, and politicians, but it has wider users for breaking news and emergency situations (natural disasters).
The often forgotten social network. But, by far, it is the most extensive network, responsible for 87% of internet traffic in New Zealand, and it is rivaled only by the Google search page. This network is a behemoth covering all ages and is supported by the same search targeting as Google Adwords.
New kid on the block. It is predominantly a youth audience but has been growing fast with various ads and demographics. Ideal for targeting sub-cultures online.