Snapchat and Instagram overtake Facebook among 15- to 24-year-olds

The most important results at a glance:

• The smartphone is the most intensively used electronic device. Only 2 percent of 15-24-year-olds in Switzerland cannot be reached via WhatsApp.
• Music and video streaming are trending: half of young people use services such as Spotify and almost 40% watch Netflix at least occasionally.
• Snapchat and Instagram clearly overtake Facebook among young people. Pinterest is growing the fastest and is particularly popular among women and in French-speaking Switzerland.
• Television and radio remain attractive: two thirds of the population watch television or listen to the radio every day. The TV set remains the favorite for watching television - in all age groups.
• Almost one in five people have already tried virtual reality glasses.
• Smartwatches are not yet a mass phenomenon in Switzerland: only one in twenty people wear a smartwatch.

Young people use smartphones daily

The smartphone is the most intensively used electronic device in Switzerland. Almost three quarters of the total population aged 15 and over use an internet-enabled cell phone every day. For young people, the smartphone is the number one information and communication device. 98% of young people aged 15-24 use their smartphone every day. Parallel to the increasing use of smartphones, stationary computers and tablets are slowly losing importance. Only TVs and radios still reach more people than smartphones. This development is shown by the IGEM Digimonitor 2017, which was conducted in collaboration with WEMF.

TV content is used on all devices, but the TV set remains the favorite

4 out of 5 people aged 15 and over are on the Internet every day. Two thirds listen to the radio or watch TV every day. Almost all young people (98%) use the internet every day and just under half watch TV or listen to the radio every day. (see chart 2) Radio and television programs are used wherever there is a screen, loudspeaker and reception - i.e. also on computers, smartphones and tablets or radio and TV sets. However, the classic TV set remains the favorite way to watch television. 82% of people who watch TV on multiple devices prefer a classic TV set.

Streaming services such as Spotify and Netflix complement traditional media

When it comes to listening to music, streaming services such as Spotify are very popular with young people. Around half of young people use such services at least occasionally and one in three even use them daily. In the population as a whole, only 10 percent listen to streaming music every day. Music streaming is particularly popular in French-speaking Switzerland. The much-cited Netflix also finds its audience primarily among young people. 37% of them use Netflix at least occasionally. In the population as a whole, the proportion of Netflix users is not even half as high. In contrast to virtual reality, smartwatches and music streaming, Netflix not only overcomes the divide between the two sexes, but also the divide between the sexes. The use of Netflix only depends on age: the younger the user, the more likely they are to use Netflix - regardless of whether they are in French- or German-speaking Switzerland, male or female.

Snapchat and Instagram leave Facebook far behind among young people, Pinterest is growing the fastest

WhatsApp has already achieved almost complete market penetration among young people. Only 2% of 15-24-year-olds in Switzerland cannot be reached via WhatsApp. Facebook, on the other hand, has lost ground massively in the same age group. While almost 70% of young people still used Facebook at least occasionally in 2016, only 55% do so just one year later. At the same time, Snapchat and Instagram have clearly overtaken Facebook. Two thirds of boys use Snapchat or Instagram at least occasionally. And more than half of 15-24-year-olds even use Snapchat or Instagram on a daily basis. However, Instagram seems to be slowly reaching its zenith among 15-24-year-olds. The enormous growth of Pinterest is surprising. Pinterest has seen a doubling of usage in practically all demographic groups. A special feature of Pinterest is that the platform appeals to significantly more women than men. In addition, Pinterest - like Facebook - is significantly more popular in French-speaking Switzerland than in German-speaking Switzerland. On the other hand, YouTube is used significantly less in French-speaking Switzerland.

Moviegoers have an affinity for virtual reality

Almost one in five Swiss over the age of 15 has already tried virtual reality glasses. Moviegoers are particularly keen on virtual reality. The highest figures for virtual reality are achieved among younger men in German-speaking Switzerland, around 40% of whom have already tried virtual reality glasses. Wearing a smartwatch, which is still a combination of a digital wristwatch and smartphone, is still hardly widespread. Only 5% of the total population wear a smartwatch at least occasionally. Even though the use of smartwatches has increased slightly compared to the previous year, more people still do not use a cell phone at all (6%) than a smartwatch.

Internet advertising is mainly hidden in German-speaking Switzerland, by boys and by men with an adblocker

Even if the internet is heavily used, advertising is met with a certain amount of disapproval. Adblockers are then installed to block advertising on the internet. In 2017, a fifth of the total population and almost a third of young people installed such software on at least one device. Nevertheless, the number of adblockers installed among the overall population remains stable. But here too, the peak figures are among young men in German-speaking Switzerland, almost half of whom have an adblocker installed. This is an increasing problem for media that are financed exclusively by internet advertising.

About the study

The IGEM Digimonitor surveys the use of video, audio, television, cinema, radio, teletext, internet, virtual reality, smartwatch, adblocker and social media via smartphone, tablet, PC/laptop, TV set and radio in Switzerland. The IGEM Digimonitor is the only study with this specific content that is representative of the entire population in German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland aged 15 and over, as it also surveys offline users and people without a (registered) landline. The IGEM Digimonitor was developed by the Interessengemeinschaft elektronische Medien IGEM together with the AG für Werbemedienforschung WEMF and has been surveyed annually by the Link Institute in Lucerne since 2014. 1,757 people aged 15 and over took part in the telephone survey in 2017, 1,015 of them in German-speaking Switzerland and 742 in French-speaking Switzerland.