Abstract
Social media has become one of the most popular tools for social interaction, and has
transformed how individuals socialise, seek and share information with each other. Despite
the widespread usage of social media in South Africa, there is a lack of empirical research
studies that crystallise the differences in usage of social media by men and women, and of the
relationship between social media usage and behaviour. The purpose of the study was to
establish the differences between how men and women use social media and if there are any
differences in their behaviour on social platforms. The sample consisted of 1 176 individuals
who have used a social media account within the last six months, and interviews were
conducted via a self-administered questionnaire. The results indicate that most of the
respondents had been on their preferred social media platform for five years or more, are of
Generation Y, have a university degree, and were single and living alone. The results
demonstrate that there are no statistically significant differences in the usage and behaviour
of social media networking sites of men and women. Marketers therefore need to invest in
developing and maintaining a presence on social media if they want to develop a loyal
following amongst Generation Y. Social media can therefore be leveraged by marketers to
disseminate information about new products or products that existing customers had not
considered buying at the time of social media interaction.