Online Brits ‘fall into 5 types’

The research, conducted by social network realbuzz.com, indicates that consumers are turning away from traditional social networks and more willing to get involved with online networks committed to improving their physical and emotional wellbeing.

In this State of the Nation Alert you will find a compilation of statistics to provide an unparalleled insight into the state of the UK’s free time versus social networking behaviours.

The research looked at the amount of time and money the Great British public invests in a hobby or pastime.  The report also investigated consumer perceptions regarding work: life balance and the impact of work on our free time.

The old adage that Brits work long hours is alive and kicking – 45 per cent of respondents claim to work in excess of the traditional average 40 hour week and a whopping 38 per cent stated they actually work more than 60 hours each week.

The findings highlight that Brits don’t have enough time to do the things they enjoy doing – with 87 per cent wishing they had more free time for a hobby or pastime. 

Only a stark five per cent said they have ample free time.  More interestingly, eight per cent of respondents were unsure whether or not they had enough free time - this indicates that they either have no interest in pursuing a pastime or are simply too busy with work to notice.

Just over half of all respondents (52 per cent) stated that work severely gets in the way of their social life at least once a week.  With an additional quarter of those surveyed (26 per cent) stating their career impacts on social lives at least twice a week.  Cumulatively these two statistics convey that a little over three quarters of Brits feel that work has a noticeable - and ultimately negative - impact on the enjoyment of their free time.  

When asked how much money people spend on a hobby or pastime the results showed that 38 per cent (slightly more than one in three of us) do not actually spend money on their hobby or pastime – which indicates a resurgence of free pastimes such as; walking, cycling, reading and jogging.

The survey also considered our motivations for getting physical and it identified that we find our workmates more motivational than our family members – in terms of getting us to do something physically challenging.   This question covered activities such as; going to the gym or participating in a sport. 

One in four respondents claimed that they found new acquaintances more motivational than either family or friends.  This finding implies that there are social barriers to overcome when beginning a fitness regime and these obstacles aren’t that apparent when we partake in such activities with strangers.

The study was conducted by consumer behavioural psychologist Donna Dawson in partnership with realbuzz.com. The analysis looked at the way UK web users build their social network profiles, their communities and how they portray themselves to others online.  It also considered how users word their messages and profile postings to other community members.

The study reveals that ‘self confessors’ over-exaggerate their flaws - in order to come across as more human and loveable. While ‘cynical clowns’ see it as a necessity to comment upon social issues in an outrageous way. These sers want to shock others and cover up the limitations they feel within their own lives.

 ‘UK Escapism’ Street Survey Results

1.      Which of the following sectors would best describe the industry you work in?
A.      Administrative & support… … 18%
B.      Catering & hospitality… … 14%
C.      Travel & tourism… … 12%
D.      Education & training… … 7%
E.      Medical & care… … 8%
F.      Scientific & engineering… … 3%
G.      Computing & technology… … 15%
H.      Legal & financial… … 13%
I.      Media & marketing… … 10%

2.      On average how many hours a week do you work?
A.      Less than 20……10%
B.      More than 20, but less than 40…… 45%
C.      More than 40, but less than 50…… 20%
D.      More than 50, but less than 60…… 8%
E.      More than 60…… 17%

3.      Do you feel that your work gets in the way of your social life?
A.      No, not at all…… 3%
B.      Sometimes (at least once a week)…… 52%
C.      Frequently (at least twice a week)…… 26%
D.      All the time…… 19%

4.      How much time do you spend per month engaged in a hobby or pastime?
A.      None…… 40%
B.      Less than 2x hours per month…… 22%
C.      More than 2x hours but less than 8x hours per month……  17%
D.      More than 8x hours per month…… 21%

5.      How much money do you estimate that your hobby or pastime costs you each month?
A.      Nothing…… 38%
B.      Less than £20 per month…… 32%
C.      More than £20 but less than £50 per month…… 21%
D.      More than £50 per month…… 9%

6.      Do you wish that you had more free time to do the things you enjoy?
A.      No……5%
B.      Yes…… 87%
C.      Not sure… … 8%

7.      Do you use social networking sites?
A.      Not at all… … 35%
B.      Every now and then…… 22% 
C.      Every day…… 25%
D.      All the time - I’m a social networking addict!…… 18%

8.      Do you find it easier to achieve something physically challenging like - running, going to the gym or playing a sport if?

A.      Your friends or family are involved…… 30%
B.      Your workmates are involved… … 46%
C.      You can do it with new acquaintances…… 24%

9.      Truly, do you?
A.      Live to work?...... 35%
B.      Work to live?...... 20%
C.      Feel like a caged animal…… 33%
D.      Feel ‘complete’…… 12%

Which of the main UK geographic regions do you live in?

South East…… 65%

South West…… 6%

East Anglia…… 3%

Midlands…… 8%

North East…… 8%

North West…… 6%

Scotland…… 3%

Wales…… 1%

Northern Ireland…… 0%

Channel Isles…… 0%

Respondent’s gender

M…… 52%

F…… 47%

Not sure……. 1%

Which of the following age brackets do you fall into?

Under 20…… 8%

20-29…… 22%

30-39…… 31%

40-49……18%

50-59…… 15%

60+…… 6%

Which of the following would your salary fall into?

Under £19,999…… 11%

£20,000 - £29,999…… 23%

£30,000 - £39,999…… 29%

£40,000 - £49,999…… 21%

£50,000 plus…… 16%

The Five Social Networking types

The study reveals that ‘self confessors’ over-exaggerate their flaws - in order to come across as more human and loveable. While ‘cynical clowns’ see it as a necessity to comment upon social issues in an outrageous way. These users want to shock others and cover up the limitations they feel within their own lives.

THE ENTHUSIASTS – You just want to share your enthusiasm for a particular sport or activity! Most of your entries tend to be descriptions of training regimes and lists of events, scores or times, as well as descriptions of how well or badly you are doing on any particular day. You might add a bit of humour or a philosophical quote about the valour of striving and achieving. Or you may only be looking for sponsorship for a particular sporting event. And some of you are really only speaking to other “fanatics” when you describe every lap you run or twinge of pain that you feel! You don’t tend to reveal much about yourself or your private lives, unless it relates to how you feel about your particular activity. You want validation only for your performance or your effort, nothing more.

Others might describe you as young or young-at-heart, competitive, self-disciplined, enthusiastic, optimistic and outgoing. Your tunnel vision about your activity might make you appear a bit self-absorbed. For you, though, the challenge is everything, and it is a crucial part of your belief system to pick yourself up and dust yourself off after a bad run or a fall from grace. You never say die!

THE SELF-CONFESSORS – You have probably just started a diet, sport or fitness campaign, and you need to confess your weaknesses and past sins in order to give yourself the sense of a fresh start. You will usually do this with self-deprecating humour, in order to arouse interest and sympathy in the reader. Your hidden motive, though, is to get help in the shape of tips, advice and support. You may have been lazy or undisciplined in the past (and you still have frequent lapses from the ‘straight and narrow’), but you are determined to make some changes. Initially, you may have been nagged by a partner, family or friends to make some changes, but now you want to do it for yourself.You probably over-exaggerate your flaws in order to come over as ‘human’ and therefore ultimately lovable, but you are “needy” in the sense that you thrive on attention and support.

Your friends would recognise you as a natural party person or couch potato, a lover of the good life and inclined to indulge in as many senses as you can. They expect you to lapse back into your old bad habits from time to time, but that just makes you more fun to be with!

THE PHILOSOPHERS – You have a strong need to  communicate your thoughts and feelings to others, and the most likely way that you do this is through a travel diary of your adventures around the world. You may limit yourself to detailed descriptions of the things that you see and the people that you meet, or you may also include a personal biography or your philosophical thoughts on life. Your general outlook is idealistic, and apart from wanting to have a good time, you genuinely believe that you have a lot to learn from other cultures and new experiences. Or, you may just be running away from responsibilities at home!

Your friends would consider you to be optimistic, friendly, curious, questing, adaptable, compassionate and open-minded. You are neither cynical nor jaded, and you tend to look for the good in others. You may have to learn some things the hard way, but you ultimately believe that people are genuinely decent and worthy of respect. And you yearn for others to validate you, by identifying with the things that you say.

THE CRITICS – You also have a strong need to communicate your feelings about things, but it takes the form of offering critiques on anything from the latest film or music group to the latest piece of technological equipment. You love going into detail, and you might even offer a blow-by-blow account of setting up a particular sound system. ‘Critics’ tend to have a sense of their own superiority in some areas, and although you reveal little about yourself or your personality in your writing, your ultimate aim is to be respected and admired for the intelligence of your opinions. You also like to believe that you are being genuinely helpful, saving other time and money because you have gone through the viewing or using experience, first. You consider yourself a bit of a trailblazer and someone who likes a challenge and the chance to work things out for yourself. You pride yourself on your objectivity.

Your friends would consider you to be thoughtful, intelligent, practical and discerning. Or maybe a nerdy boffin. At the very least, you like to control things!

THE CYNICAL CLOWNS – You see it as your job to comment on social issues or news items in your own particular outrageous way, to prick the pompous, find the humour in the ridiculous, and generally show a degree of good-humoured cynicism about everything. You like the attention that you get from shocking others, and in creating your own distinct online ‘personality’. It may not even be your real personality, but rather a ‘persona’ that you project, a bit of the frustrated rebel in you that lingers deep inside. People will either love or loathe you – you don’t mind, as long as you make a strong impression! You may be frustrated by personal limitations in your own life, but online you can be an individual apart from the mob who develops his own voice. Your sense of humour tends to be crude; all the better to shock with. Nothing surprises you anymore, and some of you will feel a bit jaded about life.

Your friends would probably describe you as feisty, down-to-earth, opinionated and anarchic. You may not even have many friends, because not everyone appreciates your extremely direct approach.

Source: www.realbuzz.com