Social media has become the dominant platform for engagement in both NI and RoI, surpassing traditional TV and on-demand streaming services. However, concerns regarding child safety on platforms like Snapchat, TikTok and Meta are prompting regulatory action.
TikTok’s new initiatives, including the Creator Rewards Program and the launch of TikTok Shop in Ireland, are part of broader significant shifts in the e-commerce/social commerce landscape. Key social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and Instagram remain popular, with demographic differences influencing usage patterns.
Influencers notably impact consumer behaviour, yet issues of trust and concerns around mental health persist. The competitive landscape, regulatory environment and emerging trends like the ‘deinfluencer’ movement present both challenges and opportunities for brands.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Have social media platforms overtaken traditional TV in popularity?
- What is the impact of advertising rules for influencers in NI and RoI and wider legislation?
- Use of platforms and types of people followed.
- Influence of social media personalities on consumer behaviour and purchases.
- Mental health concerns linked to social media usage.
- Opportunities for brands to leverage micro-influencers and social commerce.
Social media usage remains widespread throughout Ireland. The influencer has a large audience to impact, but not all consumers are responsive.
Saran Monson, Associate Analyst- Consumer Research
Market Definitions
For the purpose of this Report, Mintel commissioned exclusive online research into the Social Media and Influencer market in Ireland, looking at what types of Social Media platforms consumers typically used, and who they followed/frequently viewed content from. This Report also analyses the words consumers associate with social media personalities and areas that social media personalities have impacted. Finally, the Report looks at purchases encouraged by sponsored posts from social media personalities and attitudes surrounding Social Media and Influencers. The research was carried out by Dynata on behalf of Mintel in June 2024.
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Executive Summary
- Opportunities for the social media and influencer market
- Use smaller influencers, as well as a diversity and a focus on authenticity
- Market dynamics and outlook
- Social media dominance
- Rules for advertising with social media personalities
- X is on unstable ground…
- Concerns about child safety on social media apps remain widespread
- TikTok Creator Rewards Program targets videos over a minute, and TikTok shop arrives in Ireland
- What consumers want and why
- Platforms used by respondents, with a key top three
- Graph 1: social media platforms used by respondents in the last three months, 2024
- Almost 70% of IoI respondents follow social media personalities on TikTok
- While most respondents find social media personalities entertaining, they also perceive them as fake and superficial
- Impact made by social media personalities
- Graph 2: areas in which social media personalities have had impact, 2024
- Innovation and marketing
- Purchasing made easier on social platforms
- Virtual Influencers on the scene
- Deinfluencer movement
- Nearly 40% of people are encouraged to purchase clothing and footwear.
- Influencer trust damaged by paid promotion
- Graph 3: agreement with statements relating to social media influencers, 2024
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Market Dynamics
- Market drivers
- Levels of potential access to social media are high with widespread smartphone usage
- Social media more popular than TV/on-demand streaming
- Graph 4: Response to the statement “I spend more time viewing content from social media personalities than watching TV/on-demand streaming services”, 2024
- Online shopping grows in popularity
- Graph 5: change in amount of time spent shopping online as part of a night in compared to 12 months ago, 2024
- Some caution must be applied, with levels of engagement with sponsored posts in the UK market shown to be relatively low
- Graph 6: which type of social media advert have you clicked on the most in the last three months? 2024
- Social, environmental and legal factors
- The broader changing face of the internet
- EU Digital Services Act and Digital Market Act 2022
- Coimisiún na Meán
- Online Safety Act 2023 UK
- Advertising rules for influencers….
- August 2024 : UK riots/the role of social media, and the arrest of Pavel Durov
- November 2023 RoI riots: X criticised by Irish government
- X stands on precarious ground…
- Concerns around child safety and social media apps remain prolific
- TikTok dealt a blow as TikTok Lite not rewarded in the EU
- TikTok Creator Rewards Program targets videos over a minute long, and TikTok shop comes to Ireland
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What Consumers Want and Why
- Social media platform usage
- Types of social media used
- Graph 7: social media platforms used by respondents in the last three months, 2024
- Gender affects usage
- Graph 8: social media platforms used by respondents in the last three months, by gender, 2024
- Graph 9: social media platforms used by respondents in the last three months, by gender, 2024
- Platforms favoured differently by gender but YouTube offers neutral ground for all
- Impact of age on use of social media platforms
- Graph 10: social media platforms used by respondents in the last three months, by age, 2024
- Graph 11: social media platforms used by respondents in the last three months, by age, 2024
- 16-24 age bracket are top users of most platforms, whereas Facebook is favoured more by older generations
- Types of accounts followed/frequently viewed on platforms
- In NI, social media personalities are most likely to be followed on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram
- Graph 12: types of people followed/frequently viewed posts from on platforms, 2024
- With RoI showing the same top three platforms for following influencers
- Graph 13: types of people followed/frequently viewed posts from on platforms, 2024
- Nearly 70% in IoI respondents follow social media personalities on TikTok
- YouTube social media personalities more popular with RoI men and NI women
- Using the micro-influencer on Instagram
- X (formerly Twitter) also holds sway, but this may be threatened
- Irish consumers most likely to follow family/friends over ‘personalities’
- Around 60% of IoI respondents who have used selected social media follow a social media personality
- Using social media for family and friends remains more consistent with age; social media personality following does not
- Graph 14: NET results to question “Who do you ‘follow’ or frequently view posts from on the following platforms?”, by generation, 2024
- Words most associated with social media personalities
- Most respondents believe social media personalities to be entertaining, but also fake and superficial
- Graph 15: respondents choice of up to three words associated most with social media personalities, 2024
- A third have concerns with the reality presented by influencers
- A chasm appears; results for both funny and annoying as well as informative and time wasters are approximately the same
- The wider issue of using influencers
- Broadly, negative views of social media personalities increase with age…
- … with a similar situation in RoI
- RoI Millennials most likely to find social media personalities informative
- Areas of impact from social media personalities
- Impact of social media personalities
- Graph 16: areas in which social media personalities have had impact, 2024
- Taste in clothes/makeup most likely to have been impacted in RoI; second most likely in NI
- Graph 17: social media personalities have impacted my taste in clothes and makeup, by gender, 2024
- NI has entertainment choices as its top impacted area; RoI only 3% behind
- Increased reading from younger people, coinciding with TikTok use and #Booktok
- Graph 18: change in amount of time spent reading compared to 12 months ago, by age, 2024
- Whereas RoI is slightly more likely to be impacted when it comes to fitness/exercise habits
- RoI more likely to be impacted in holidays/travel, opportunities for travel influencers
- Mental health/self esteem more likely to affect women and younger people…
- Graph 19: social media personalities have impacted my mental health/self esteem, by gender, 2024
- Graph 20: social media personalities have impacted my mental health/self esteem, by generation, 2024
- NI women most likely to be affected, with a clear trend of age and impact emerging
- Impact on diet and cooking
- For some respondents, none of the categories have been impacted by social media personalities
- Purchases encouraged because of a sponsored post from a social media personality
- Purchases encouraged by sponsored posts
- Graph 21: respondent response when asked “Which of the following have you been encouraged to buy because of a sponsored post from a social media personality? “, 2024
- Clothing and footwear purchases encouraged amongst nearly 40%
- Beauty and hygiene products rank high
- Impact on food and drink especially on younger generations, with Prime being a cautionary tale
- In nearly all instances, younger people more likely to be influenced to buy than those who are older…
- Graph 22: encouraged to buy from following categories because of a sponsored post from a social media personality, by age, 2024
- Gender discrepancy when it comes to travel/holidays…
- … with men more likely to be influenced
- Men also more likely to take dominance in many of the smaller categories, showing a conglomerate male opportunity
- Graph 23: “I have been encouraged to buy from the following categories because of a sponsored post from a social media personality”, by gender, 2024
- However, around a quarter not influenced by sponsored posts
- Attitudes towards social media and influencers
- Paid promotion damages influencer trust
- Graph 24: agreement with statements relating to social media influencers, 2024
- Vast majority of respondents find it hard to trust those who get paid for promotion
- … but young consumers still see influencers are more reliable than traditional sources
- Graph 25: “influencers can be a more trustworthy source of information than traditional media”, by age, 2024
- Significant proportion of respondents actively trying to reduce time spent on social media
- Mental health impact
- Social media has a firmer foothold on entertainment than TV and streaming, in particular among young people
- Graph 26: “I spend more time viewing content from social media personalities than watching TV/on-demand streaming services”, by age, 2024
- Older consumers see less relevant sponsors
- Graph 27: sponsored adverts in social media personalities’ posts are often relevant to me, by age, 2024
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Competitive landscape
- Irish and Northern Irish influencers
- Seán William McLoughlin (Jacksepticeye)
- Sponsorships, businesses and projects
- Sean Casey
- Sponsorships, businesses and projects
- Annalivia Hynds
- Sponsorships, businesses and projects
- Eoin Reardon (@pintofplane)
- Sponsorships, businesses and projects
- Rory King (@rorystravelclub)
- Sponsorships, businesses and projects
- Lauren Whelan
- Sponsorships, businesses and projects
- Launch activity and innovation
- Social commerce: path to purchase made easier
- YouTube Shopping Collections
- Similar experiences are being flouted on shopping services, but can they compete?
- Instagram tries to recreate TikTok
- TikTok encroaching on Instagram
- noplace
- Diversity in Influencers
- Virtual Influencers selling mascara
- Virtual Influencer representing Down Syndrome
- Spar Slovenia chooses a virtual influencer, but strategy is incongruous
- Anthropomorphic Virtual Influencers
- Advantages and disadvantages of virtual influencers
- Deinfluencer movement
- Paid verifications services may see varied results
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Appendix
- Report scope and definitions
- Market definition
- Abbreviations and terms
- Consumer research methodology
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