Social Media Usage in Canada on the Rise

CNW Group and Leger Marketing have concluded a study of social media usage in Canada by consumers and public relations practitioners called the "Canadian Social Media Reality Check."

According to the results, 49% of consumer social media users and 62% of PR practitioners use social media services at least once a day. Sixty-one percent of consumer respondents use social media to research purchases. Thirty-one percent of consumers and 55% of practitioners stated that social media is more credible than advertising.

Sixty-three percent of consumers use social media to gather news and information, while 40% use it to communicate with organizations.Seventy-seven percent of consumer respondents use Facebook, while 65% use YouTube and 20% use MySpace.

In addition, 69% of PR practitioners feel they could use social media services more effectively.