Traditional television viewing is being surpassed by mobile screen-time, with most smartphone owners choosing to scroll through their Facebook newsfeed than channel hop.
This is according to Cape Town-based media agency Limelight Consulting, which analysed South African social media behaviour in its recent Media Usage Report.
The agency noted more people used Facebook (55%) than watched TV (52%) in the past week.
The data is pulled from a sample of over 33 000 consumers.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote a manifesto in February, saying: "Just as TV became the primary medium for civic communication in the 1960s, social media is becoming this in the 21st century."
The social network does realise the power and pull of video, and it was reported in March that it is on the hunt for original content. It had asked TV producers to pitch exclusive content for the platform in an effort to grow its ecosystem of video content on the platform over the next three years.
In February, Zuckerberg told investors during an earnings call that the company sees video as a "megatrend" and foresees it further boosting revenue in the near future.
Ross Sergeant, MD of Limelight Consulting, says: "Understanding media consumption is key to effectively and efficiently communicating with your consumers, and social media is now challenging traditional media."
The report showed 72% of digitally-connected adult South Africans use Facebook daily.
Snappy insights
Of the young people (18- to 24-years-old) surveyed, it was found they are 8% less likely to use Facebook but more likely to engage on all other social media platforms.
Snapchat came out as the leading network, with that age group 13% more likely to make use of Snapchat on a daily basis. Instagram was the second most used daily platform.
"Parents, if you want to know what your kids are doing, learn to use Snapchat. The high percentage of daily and weekly users suggest it's here to stay and increasing in popularity," says Sergeant.
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