Over a quarter of consumers now say thy 'actively ignore' branded social media posts or content, despite soaring usage of platforms like Snapchat and Instagram.
Scepticism is highest in Scandinavian countries with 57% of respondents in both Sweden and Denmark stating they actively ignore content from brands. At the other end of the scale, just 15% of those in Saudi Arabia and 19% of Brazilians would avoid branded content. China and South Africa sit closer to the global average with 24% and 26% of respondents expressing cynicism, respectively.
The popularity of Instagram and Snapchat has soared in the last two years as internet-users seek out real, personal and ‘in-the-moment’ content, according to a new study of over 70,000 consumers from global research consultancy Kantar TNS.
Almost one quarter (23%) of internet-users are now on Snapchat, a huge jump from just 12% two years ago. Instagram has also seen a surge in popularity, with global usage jumping to 42%, up from 24% in 2014.

The new research from Kantar TNS reveals that brands will struggle to get internet-users to engage with them as many consumers feel bombarded by presence of brands on social platforms, with 34% saying they feel ‘constantly followed’ by online advertising. Kantar TNS’s study found that influencers and celebrities hold the key to swaying people’s views of brands. Two out of five (40%) of 16 – 24 year olds say they trust what people say online about brands more than ‘official’ sources, such as newspapers, brands’ own websites or TV adverts.

I agree with these facts, and I do believe now that technology and new/digital media is developing, people are feeling like they're being constantly watched, and many things are becoming repetitive. Therefore, people are no longer finding apps such as Instagram and Snapchat interesting.