YouTube, WhatsApp & Skype The Most “Loved” Online Brands By UK Youth

YouTube, WhatsApp and Skype are the most loved social media brands by UK youths according to youth insights consultancy Voxburner’s “YouthTech Report 2014.”

The research, conducted among 1,544 UK youths aged 16 to 24, examined their attitudes towards 18 social media brands. While user figures may show which platforms are the most widely used, the sentiment figures revealed by Voxburner show which platforms young people enjoy the most, explains Voxburner’s head of insight Luke Mitchell.

YouTube seems to be the most enjoyed service, with 53% of participants in the survey stating they “love” it and another 38% answering they “like” it – combined, the two figures show that 91% of users have a positive attitude toward the platform. Other widely “loved” platforms are WhatsApp (33%), Skype (31%), Facebook (27%) and Instagram (24%). Foursquare, Tinder and Chinese app WeChat each received “love” from only 2% of respondents.

There didn’t seem to be any particularly strong negative sentiments towards any platform. Google+ topped the negative chart, with 19% of respondents claiming they “dislike” or “hate” it. According to Mitchell, this shows how young users don’t like feeling forced into engaging with new social media brands, as demonstrated when YouTube commenters were pushed into using a Google+ profile.

Participants in the survey pointed out that they like YouTube and Skype because they provide a better alternative to the previously available services – costly music and film purchases or rentals, and expensive phone calls. Meanwhile, Facebook has become just another aspect of the everyday lives of young consumers, which has resulted in widespread neutral sentiment towards the social network.