94% have an account on some social network; WhatsApp leads with 92%

Since 2004, when he joined Orkut, the first social network to become widespread, Brazilians had already shown their taste for online social interaction. If 18 years later, joining is nothing new, the dimension is surprising: 94% of Internet users (those who access the internet) said they had an account on some social networking site.

The percentage is higher (99%) in the 16-34 age group, among digital natives, but remains strong even in the less passionate groups —83% among those aged 60+ and 85% of those who attended only elementary school.

WhatsApp predominates in all social strata and regions of the country, reaching almost all of those who said they were users of social networks (92%). It was also the favorite of 44%, followed by Instagram (26%).

WhatsApp’s trump card is the direct connection that the user establishes with family and friends, which contributes a lot to the candidate’s choice. “The affective bond increases the attention and credibility we give to the information they send us. In addition, we are more likely to share,” says Vinícius Prates, a professor at Mackenzie University and a researcher on disinformation in digital media.

Manoel Fernandes, director of digital consultancy Bites, says that this affection is the main tool of influence. “This ecosystem is very dynamic. That’s why the volatility of the last days of the election is very high.”

Telegram, identified as the favorite of Bolsonaristas, showed medium reach in the survey (24% reported having the application on their cell phone), but it grows to 41% in the younger age group. In addition to being fast transmitters of information, messaging networks such as Telegram and WhatsApp act as digital electoral committees, in which supporters obtain videos and memes to distribute on other platforms, says Fernandes.

Candidates cannot limit themselves to instant messaging applications, they need to be present on as many social networks as possible, because internet users divide their screen time between them.

“Regardless of the number of users, there will be movement of content on all the main platforms”, says Antônio Barros, from the National Institute of Science and Technology in Digital Democracy.
It is the strategy of the current president of the Republic. In second place in polls, Jair Bolsonaro (PL) leads in the number of followers on Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, Tik Tok and Twitter.

Former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), ahead in the polls, is in second place in the networks, except for Tik Tok. Lula only activated the account on June 20 and has 122,000 followers, behind Ciro Gomes (PDT), with 162,000 – both, however, very far from Bolsonaro, with 1.8 million (data from this Thursday, 7th).
In the survey, the Chinese video application proves to be a phenomenon among the youngest, with 58% of presence among Internet users aged 16 to 24 and 45% of those aged 25 to 34.

Twitter also grows in the younger part of the population. The total of 20% in the group of Internet users rises to 38% in the range of 16 to 24 years. In addition to the normal wear and tear of networks over time, young people like news and seek to keep their distance from the platforms where their parents are. Video-based networks like Tik Tok and Instagram drive older people away.

UNDERSTAND THE DATAFOLHA RESEARCH

• ​The survey that gives rise to the materials in this special section was carried out by Datafolha and had two modules, with two different surveys, one on Brazilians’ favorite brands for services involving the internet and another on their online behavior.
• The brand survey reflects 1,500 interviews conducted between March 21 and 28, 2022, with Brazilians aged 16 and over, from all social classes and regions in Brazil, who access the internet every day. The survey’s margin of error is three percentage points, and its reliability is 95% – this means that if 100 surveys like this were done, in 95 the results would be within the margin of error.
• The survey on Brazilian online behavior reflects 2,064 interviews conducted between March 16 and 24 with Brazilians aged 16 and over, from all social classes and regions of the country. The margin of error is two percentage points, considering a confidence level also of 95%