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Two-Thirds Of Adults In The UAE Wish They Were More Like Their Online Persona!
Published Jul 18, 2012
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In just a handful of years our online behaviour has changed dramatically as we have absorbed social media into our digital - and social - lives. Our social media profiles reveal our aspirations, whether that means appearing more popular, attractive, intelligent or outrageous. A recent survey commissioned by Intel in Europe and the Middle East shows that our desire to project our ‘Ultra You’ persona – an improved version of who we are – is felt strongly across national borders.
Digital Aspirations
It’s staggering to realise that our digital world can represent such a strong virtual projection of our personal aspirations. The desire to project an Ultra You persona is reflected by 68% of respondents in the UAE, who wish to be more like the personality they’ve described on social media. How people create their embellished profiles varies - with the aid of different “social lies,” people seek to wow, shock and engage their online audience of friends and family.
Women emerged as the most likely to manipulate their social media profile by carefully selecting flattering profile pictures (41%), whereas men focussed on tailoring their posts to seem more intelligent (29%). Respondents in the UAE seemed more intent on creating an intellectual aura through posts to make themselves seem more intelligent, which had led 65% of them to read more widely to keep up with their social status
The Digital Makeover
Our personal appearance has long been a way of gaining social credibility – careful grooming, smart clothes and stylish accessories have helped us in this endeavor. Now the digital world has opened a whole new field for personal projection. Most of the people polled in the UAE survey admitted to manipulating their online image to find love or friendship (63% of men and 67% of women). Impressing other people was cited as the next most common reason for indulging in ‘social lies’ - almost equally for men (62%) as it is for women (61%).
Just as users are cautious to manage their own social media image, they are also alert to how others might embellish their own profiles. But how can we tell when someone is lying online? 61% stated that posts showing incoherence between intentions and actions are real giveaways followed by posts that are ‘just too good to be true’ (58%). Artificially altered pictures were also cited as warning signs by 53% of respondents in the UAE.
Social Taboos
Our social media behaviours have evolved over time, but it’s clear that people still have some core values which remain constant - whether in the real or the digital world. 76% of respondents from the UAE agree that there are some topics which should be kept private and not discussed online. The use of inappropriate and explicit photos most frequently cited by the UAE as the top peeve (79%) followed by people who use profanity (76%). The future generation of social media users in the UAE had better watch their behaviour as they build their online profile – the vast majority of respondents (78%) agreed with the need for parents to teach their children better online/mobile etiquette.
Social Media: Laptop or Smartphone?
With so much attention paid to social media content, the survey asked which mobile devices consumers prefer to use when managing their profiles on the move. It seems the majority of people prefer a laptop when it comes to enjoying a full social media experience involving posting content and managing several social media profiles.
The factors which would most motivate users in the UAE to run more of their social media world through their laptop were faster start up time (77%), battery life (50%) and that having a slimmer or lighter laptop (47%). Intel has inspired a wide range of ultra-sleek, ultra-responsive Ultrabook™ devices to meet exactly these needs amongst consumers.
Posted by
VMD - [Virtual Marketing Department]
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