In the course of writing a book, there is a lot of stuff that gets written, and then, sometimes very traumatically, cut. Here is the second in a  short series about social media use in Alto Hospicio, as based on survey data. I have done the writing, but I must give thanks for the incredible efforts by my assistant Jorge for helping recruit and administer the survey. It certainly would have never been completed without him. 
For part one, click here: facebook: the facts
For part two, click here: whatsapp: the facts
For part four, click here: instagram: the facts

After WhatsApp, Twitter was the next most popular form of social media on the survey, but it’s use overall constituted only 30% of people. It was obviously more a younger person’s form of media with 33% of teens, 23% of 20-somethings and 21% of 30-somethings using it. By 40 only 8% of survey respondents had an account. Of those with Twitter accounts, just over half tweet or re-tweet at least once monthly. Those within that group average about 24 tweets and 24 retweets a month. Those who tweet are just as likely to re-tweet and vice versa. Teens tweet and retweet the most, with 71% of those who have accounts actively tweeting, and averaging 16 tweets and 21 retweets a month. Of twenty-somethings with accounts only 44% actively tweet, though they average 35 tweets and 35 re-tweets a month. Though 14% of thirty-somethings said they have twitter accounts none actually tweeted. For those 40 and above, only 18% have accounts, but two thirds of them actively tweet averaging 16 tweets a month.

Twitter allows for the use of hashtags (#) and tagging other uses (@), intended to allow people to search for trending topics or interact with other users. Yet Hospiceño have not taken full advantage of these features. For the most part original tweets are messages that could easily appear as Facebook status updates. Some reference food: “I want noodles and sauce” accompanied by emojis (those little faces and pictures that appear as another “language” on most smartphones). Some refer to television programs such as The Big Bang Theory or “Watching cartoons with my kids before bed.” (always with the name of the program hashtagged). Other describe activities: “Waiting for the bus to go home.” or “Working out in the gym” with workout partners tagged. Still others simply link to their Instagram pictures. In effect, for these users, Twitter is simply a way to share with a wider audience the photos they take with Instagram. 

Obviously, the percentage of people using Twitter as compared to Facebook and WhatsApp represents a huge drop off. People tell me this is primarily because Twitter is fome or boring. In large part this is due to the fact that most tweets receive 3 or fewer “likes” or re-tweets, and most receive none at all. Even fewer are replied to. In essence, on Twitter one sends their thoughts out the universe, but the universe rarely answers. On WhatsApp, there is an intended audience that almost always responds. The audience of Facebook or even Instagram is less defined, but especially for younger users, there are almost always likes and comments that are returned. On Twitter, most posts are simply there to be seen, not interacted with.

Only a small amount of users say that they access news items on Twitter. One night after having sushi for dinner in Iquique, I went to the bus stop in the center of the city to catch a bus back to Alto Hospicio. It was around 8pm on a Thursday, the stop was quite full of commuters waiting to go home. Busses usually arrive every few minutes, but none had passed after 20 minutes. People began to ask those standing near them what was going on. After 45 minutes of no busses, people began sending text messages or making phone calls to family members asking if they knew what was going on. A police man strolled past the stop and the 60 year old woman standing next to me asked him if there was an accident that was causing a delay. He said he didn’t know of any accidents, but advised the woman to call the non-emergency police information number to ask. She did just that and informed the small group that had gathered around her that there had been a major accident on the highway that leads up the hill from Iquique to Alto Hospicio. Traffic was at a standstill was expected to take several more hours to clear. I finally made it home a little before midnight, and when I turned on my computer I checked twitter, and my feed was loaded with reports of the crash. It hadn’t occurred to me, nor seemingly anyone of the nearly 100 people at the bus stop to check twitter for information. Yet it was there all along. 

Twitter use also seems to suffer from the fact that the page view itself, is boring, whether accessed on a computer or smartphone. On Facebook and other visually-centered platforms discussed later images are central whether personal photos, memes, or the pictures that accompany links. On Twitter the page is dominated by text on a white background and many users say they get fatigued quickly just looking at the page. Twitter doesn’t offer the entertainment and distraction value equal to platforms with more image-centric layouts, so even those Hospiceños that use Twitter see it as secondary to other social networking sites where they concentrate more energy. 

In the course of writing a book, there is a lot of stuff that gets written, and then, sometimes very traumatically, cut. Here is the second in a  short series about social media use in Alto Hospicio, as based on survey data. I have done the writing, but I must give thanks for the incredible efforts by my assistant Jorge for helping recruit and administer the survey. It certainly would have never been completed without him. 
For part one, click here: facebook: the facts
For part three, click here: twitter: the facts
For part four, click here: instagram: the facts

Whatsapp is certainly the second most important form of social networking communication in Alto Hospicio. Of people in the survey who use social networking applications, 77% use Whatsapp regularly and two-thirds of them regularly communicate in groups with the application. It tends to be used only slightly more with friends than with family members. When meeting new people, they almost always asked if I had Whatsapp rather than  wanting to connect through email, Facebook, or by exchanging phone numbers. Police officers, internet installation technicians, and neighbors alike preferred the new app to older ways of getting in contact.

WhatsApp is much like “traditional” text messaging, but requires the user to download an application to their smartphone. Then they can send messages using their mobile data rather than messaging bundle. Though Whatsapp allows for users to send videos to their contacts, this use was rare among people in Alto Hospicio. Far more common were sending photos. Voice messages were even more popular. Some people blamed this on laziness. “I’m too lazy to type, just pressing the button and talking is easier,” though others were concerned about others around them hearing the message when a friend, partner, or even ex-partner sent a voice message. 

For teens, Whatsapp use is incredibly high. Eighty five percent of respondents under 20 used Whatsapp, and 70% of them often sent and received messages to groups with an average of 2.6 groups per person. Seventy six percent use it with friends, 35% with their boyfriend or girlfriend, and less than one quarter with family members, and overall more than three quarters of the time with someone in Alto Hospicio. Boyfriends and girlfriends will often spend afterschool or late night hours writing back and forth. Friends use it for the latest school gossip or to make weekend plans. This is true with siblings as well, though most live in the same home, so are able to speak in person more often. Most often, when a teens uses Whatsapp to communicate with a family member, it is their mother, and the conversation consists of checking in, requests from the supermarket, or asking about daily plans.

For people in their twenties, Whatsapp is even more important, with 90% of those surveyed saying they use Whatsapp at least once a day. Seventy percent those users send at least one group message per day using Whatsapp, but usually reported being part of only 1-3 Whatsapp groups. Whatsapps were far more used than “traditional” text messages, and were mostly used with friends or romantic partners rather than parents, siblings, or children.

The peak age for Whatsapp use seems to be between 25 and 30 years, and after that begins to drop off a little. Seventy-five percent of those 30-34 use Whatsapp and 67% of those 35-39. Only 33% of people in their 40s use it, and only 20% of those surveyed over 50, most of those above 40 who use Whatsapp do it solely with individuals rather than with groups. For those above 30 Whatsapp is only slightly more popular than text messaging, and is used primarily with family members, and for fewer people with friends.

Of course, Whatsapp is slightly harder to study than Facebook, because there is no public record of the interactions. However, I was fortunate to be included in a few groups while doing fieldwork. The first was a group that was maintained over a long period of time, and was primarily aimed at men who liked to drive their trucks and motorcycles out into the sand dunes that surround the city. The group, called the Red Offroading Club had existed long before Whatsapp as a driving club, but Whatsapp allowed them to organize more easily. Without fail, every weekend (and sometimes on weekdays) one of the men would write to the group asking who would like to go out to the hills that afternoon. Many would reply with their specific commitments that would keep them from joining, but usually at least a few people would be interested in a drive. The conversation would then turn to logistics about time of departure and a place to meet. Inevitably, someone would have a motor problem and need a tow or something fixed or a spare part, and those such problems were always resolved through Whatsapp also. However, pictures taken during the outings, of which there were usually dozens, were always shared on Facebook rather than the Whatsapp group.

A few times, this group was also used to organize parties on the sand dunes. Logistical conversations would begin mid-week, with questions of whether Friday night or Saturday night was more amenable to people. Once that was decided, it was important to make sure everyone who wanted to come had a ride, because it wouldn’t be a party if all the trucks weren’t full! Coordinating beverages and music all happened through the group, as well as harassment of friends when it was after midnight and they still hadn’t arrived to the party. But again, the pictures taken at the party, lit by a flaming tire that had been discarded on the hillside, were posted on Facebook rather than shared with the Whatsapp group. 

In the course of writing a book, there is a lot of stuff that gets written, and then, sometimes very traumatically, cut. I'm here starting a short series of social media use in Alto Hospicio, as based on survey data. I have done the writing, but I must give thanks for the incredible efforts by my assistant Jorge for helping recruit and administer the survey. It certainly would have never been completed without him. 
For part two click here: whatsapp: the facts
For part three, click here: twitter: the facts
For part four, click here: instagram: the facts

Facebook is an indispensible part of everyday life for many people in Alto Hospicio. In my survey of 100 people, only 5 (average age 47) had never had a Facebook account, and no one who completed the survey had left Facebook. The youngest people surveyed or interviewed were 16, and the oldest in their mid 50s (because Alto Hospicio is a fairly new city, the older population is quite small). Forty-five of the people surveyed were “always connected” to Facebook, and 82 of 100 checked Facebook at least once a day.

Facebook is a platform that allows users to interact in a number of ways, whether posting original photos, sharing memes or new articles, writing original text, or commenting on any of their friends’ posts. Given the number of options, it is used by individuals in very different ways, often depending upon gender and age.

Young women, in their late teens spend the most time on Facebook, with 80% of survey participants reporting that their Facebook account is “always connected,” whether on their smartphone or computer. They average about 610 friends, with the highest reported at 2,000 and the lowest 100. More than half update their status at least once a day, and about 1/3 update it several times a day. However, very few post photos frequently, usually only 3-5 photos at a time and less than once a week. Almost all like things their friends post more than once a day, but they write comments far less often. More than 80% of teen girls say that their friends are likely to write on their Facebook wall often.

But the real value of Facebook for these young women is chatting. They use Facebook chat with far higher frequency than email, skype, WhatsApp, or even text messaging. They use Facebook chat mostly with neighborhood or school friends and their significant other, but only occasionally with family. Yet they say less than half of their online friends are actually from Alto Hospicio (about 40% of friends on average). They are almost always accessing Facebook from their homes using shared computers—whether desktops or laptops. Sixty percent of teen girls have only 1 account, 20% have 2, 10% have 3, and 10% have 4, the highest number reported, yet no one claimed that their profiles were “fake,” “anonymous,” or not representing herself. Not a single woman under 20 reported that she felt Facebook had contributed to her becoming more politically active. Overall, this usage is incredibly geared towards maintaining social relations among school and neighborhood friends. While these girls might have friends from other cities, and certainly are friends with mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and cousins, the majority of their time and typing energy is spent on maintaining relationships with age-group friends within the city. Yet, they don’t necessarily see Facebook as key to their happiness. Only 20% say that Facebook makes them happier while 10% say it makes them less happy. The other 70% say that Facebook has not changed their happiness at all.

Teens, in general, are one of the most important groups that use Facebook. They usually have more than 500 friends, the majority of which are friends from school or the neighborhood, who they communicate with using Facebook’s chat function. Chat is the primary reason for connecting to Facebook, rather than taking full advantage of photo sharing, writing original status updates, or commenting on others’. Yet 95% of those that took the survey say that their friends post something on their walls often.

While in some locations around the world, Facebook is losing hold with teens, as they migrate to platforms such as Whatsapp, Twitter, or even Snapchat, there is no discernable movement away from Facebook in Alto Hospicio. While 37% say they use Facebook less than before, the same number say they use it more than before, and 25% say their use has remained the same. One telling sign is that over 70% of teens report that they are “always connected” on Facebook.

As individuals enter their young adulthood, Facebook use changes. For people aged 20-30 men use Facebook far more than women. While almost 70% of men are always connected to Facebook, only 42% of women stay logged in. Almost all men use Facebook at work (96%) and often in the home (62%) while almost all women connect at home (95%) and sometimes at work (70%). This is likely due to the fact that men more often work in industries like mining and construction where there is likely to be down-time, whereas women work in service industries such as retail, food service, teaching, and secretarial work, where their attention to others is necessary at all times.

Both groups average between 600-700 friends with the most being 5000 for both groups and the least friends being under 100. While a little less than half of both men and women update their status daily, in general men’s use is slightly more public than women’s. Men like their friends’ statuses more often (75% vs 67% at least once daily, averaging about 103 likes per month vs 54 for women), comment on friends’ statues more often (62% vs 48% at least once daily, averaging 89 comments pero month vs 55 for women), and share more (though men and women are equally as likely to share a post once a day, men share an average of 45 other users’ links, statuses, photos, or videos per month, women only average 25). Men also send more private messages per month on average than women.

However, women’s social circles are far wider geographically. Though women are slightly more likely to be born in the North of Chile than men (52% vs 46%), on average they use Facebook messages with twice and many people outside of Alto Hospicio as men (40% vs 19%). Women report having more Facebook friends that they have never met face-to-face (28% vs 19%), and are more likely to say that they know more people because of Facebook (60% vs 44%).

After the age of 30, Facebook use declines. Number of people always connected drops below 50%, and number for friends drop drastically as well. For ages 30-49, average number of friends drops to between 350-400. For those 50 and above the average was only 50 friends. While more than 90% of people under the age of 40 who use Facebook log on at least once a day, this number drops to only 64% above the age of 50. Most people who have told me they actively avoid using social networking are also above the age of 50.

Most people above 45 primarily use Facebook as a way of connecting to the younger generation of their family. As Jorge, a miner, commented to me he mostly connects to Facebook while at work in order to keep up with the pictures of his grandson. Others, use Facebook to interact with their older children. Louisa is one such example. She lives in a 1 floor home in El Centro with her husband, daughter (23) and granddaughter (10). She has two sons that each live with their families within a short walk of the house. She sees almost all of her family members on a daily basis, but uses Facebook to see their pictures, comment, and give them encouragement, which she posts on their timelines. Though Facebook is not a necessary for staying in contact with her family, it adds a new dimension to their relationships. Louisa says she especially likes it because it allows her to look back weeks or months later and remember what was going on in her life. 

Facebook then, is not just one thing for people in Alto Hospicio. It takes on different roles depending on age, gender, occupation, or other life circumstances. It may be a life line to family, a repository of memories, or the primary mode of communicating, planning, and even gossiping with friends. But whatever it's function, it is important for a great majority of people in Alto Hospicio.