As you know, if you have been reading our blog, we have spent a lot of time during the month of May talking about social media and its (slightly positive?) impact on our lives. Our plan is to continue to track this data over time and how it impacts you as executives, parents, voters, and spenders. As part of this process, we have created a single index to measure perceptions of social media…. We are calling it the VeraQuest Social Media Impact Score.
So drum roll please….
Our very first Social Media Impact Score for June 2011 is: 50.2 (out of a possible 100).
For certain demographic groups, the Score is higher. Gen Yers (i.e., 30-39 year olds), those with kids under age 15, those who work part-time, and those that use social media more often feel more positively about the impact that social media has had on our world… not surprising since most of these groups spend more time online and have greater aptitude and comfort with the online world.
Since this is our benchmark, the number means little yet (though it is interesting that it fits almost squarely in the center of the 100 point scale). And as we continue to track this figure over time, it will offer greater insight into how social media fits into our world and when and why attitudes about social media change.
Note: for those of you that want the research back story, six statements (see chart) comprise the score, winnowed down from 15 using a factor analysis. These statements reflect three dimensions of how social media has impacted adults personally, negatively and collectively.
We look forward to continuing to share this data with you… and hearing from you on how social media has impacted your life. What’s your best guess for where the SMI Score will wind up a year from now?
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