According to a new survey from Market Connections, 92 percent of federal respondents said they used social media within the last year.The survey, reported by AOL Government, shows an additional 74 percent reporting they use networking tools at work.
A similar survey a year ago indicated that 55 percent of government employees were banned from using the media while on the job. This year that number has fallen to 19 percent, thanks to the expansion of LinkedIn and Twitter.
Among the four most popular social media sites, federal users reported the following increases from 2010 to 2011:
- Facebook use increased from 72% to 86%
- YouTube use increased from 61% to 80%
- LinkedIn use increased from 32% to 70%
- Twitter use increased from 30% to 55%
The jump in use may also be attributed to the expansion of smartphone use. According to the survey, 70 percent of those who consume social media are users through their phones. Blackberry numbers were down 7 percent, while iPhone use is up 9 percent in the last year while
A total of 228 federal civilian employees and 124 Pentagon employees participated in the survey.
The full report will be available in early November.
