Refreshing social media typology for youths

<p dir="ltr">Social media has become an indispensable part of modern life, transcending its initial social functions to encompass various activities such as political engagement, entertainment and even social commerce. As such, understanding the diverse ways in which users engage with these platforms has become increasingly paramount for both academic research and business applications. This study–which surveyed 236 youths aged 18–35 in Singapore–endeavours to refresh existing social media typologies to better reflect contemporary social media user behaviours by introducing axes that distinguish content <i>production</i> and <i>consumption</i>, as well as <i>informational/formal</i> and <i>recreational/informal</i> usage types. Employing Principal Component Analysis, the study identifies four categories based on user engagement patterns on social media: <i>professional</i>, <i>creator</i>, <i>spectator</i> and <i>enjoyer</i> behavioural types.