A new survey of 1,000 professionals published today by developer of socially driven education technologies, Scredible, reveals that nearly half (47 percent) of UK professionals believe there is too much useless content on social media.
The study, which surveyed fully-employed professionals aged between 20 and 45, also finds that around a quarter of Brits (26 percent) think there is too much spam on social media, whilst 29 percent simply do not have time to post during the working day. A further 19% are worried about what their employers might think of their social media profiles, including how what they share might be judged.
Colin Lucas-Mudd, Chief Executive Officer at Scredible plc, says: “In the UK, our research shows major barriers preventing businesses benefitting from professionals’ use of social media at work. Many UK workers share concerns over how hard it is to find good content, the time required to sift through spam, and worries their employers’ perception of using social media. As social media rapidly moves into the #1 slot, both as a marketing and support tool, this is a disaster in the making in terms of global competitiveness. Further, as it becomes more important than ever for professionals to fully understand ‘social’ as a learning and development tool, educational opportunities are being lost and career prospects dimmed.
“The UK stands out as a world leader in the creative arts, as well as the knowledge and digital economies. However, the negative perceptions of social media demonstrated by this survey will ultimately put this position at risk.”
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The survey results show that social media service providers need to improve their offers and educate UK business stakeholders better. Many British professionals view it as an entertainment rather than business resource with 68 percent of respondents believing social media is most useful for keeping in touch with friends. A significant proportion (38 percent) believe that social media is a ‘distraction’ that should be banned at work.
The survey reveals a stark contrast between U.K. with U.S professionals, the latter of whom are more favourable towards using social media in a business environment. Some 54 percent of Americans recognise that social media will be important for their careers in 5 years’ time, compared with only 39 percent of Brits. 48 percent of Americans feel they learn ‘a lot’ from social media (compared to 29 percent of Brits)
Lucas-Mudd continues: “The UK is renowned globally for its creative, digital industries; but history demonstrates that we often fail to exploit the enormous commercial, development, and educational opportunities presented by a more connected world. Businesses and individuals that are quickest to recognise the benefits of an active social profile will get ahead of the competition. More awareness is needed everywhere, but we Brits can certainly learn from the U.S in this regard. Something we need to do quickly if we’re to remain competitive.”
