Social Network Sites’ usage among Greek students in Western Macedonia

Abstract

Social Networking Sites has been in the centre of attention of marketers and academics during the last 15 years as an important tool for communicating with consumers. SNSs are being used by people in all demographic categories, but it is commonly acceptable that millenials are the main users of those platforms. The reasons that motivate people use SNSs have been examined by relevant literature thoroughly but not sufficient attention was paid in the formation of segments of users. This paper aims to shed light in the ways that college students are using social media and social networking sites, and identify segments of users in this demographic group. Our research surveys the SNS usage of 535 students in the TEI of Western Macedonia, exploring the frequency of 18 actions users of SNSs usually perform. Principal Component Analysis designated 4 main categories of SNSs usage, that were used along with additional variables to segment college students according to their behaviour and usage patterns of SNSs. Our results indicated the existence of 4 segments of SNSs users, contributing to the discussion on SNSs usage and customer segmentation extending the relevant literature and providing useful insights for marketers in planning social media marketing innovative strategies.