Is the tide turning for social media platforms in Switzerland?

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In a ranking of 170 media brands, Facebook had the lowest credibility.

The Swiss appear to be switching off from social media, according to a survey, which suggests that the image of Facebook and Twitter have taken a hit.

Some 55% of the Swiss population used social media in 2017, down 4% compared with a year earlier, a media brand study for the consultancy firm Publicomexternal link revealed.

The report, published on Wednesday, says that social media lost more users last year than print media. They together with online newspapers reached 94% of the Swiss population.

Scandals involving the misuse of personal data and fake news have left their mark, damaging the image of social media platforms, says the report.

Facebook and Twitter have lost a great deal of users’ sympathy and trust and their brand images have been “besmirched”, the report adds. In a ranking of 170 media brands, Facebook had the lowest credibility.

By contrast, regional and paid subscription daily newspapers, public radio and TV are held in high regard by Swiss residents; Swiss media in general are considered highly credible. Swiss media brands were generally ranked higher than international media, with the exception of Youtube.

The 2018 survey was among 4,828 people aged 15-79, between April and May.

About Swissinfo

SWI swissinfo.ch – the international service of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). Since 1999, swissinfo.ch has fulfilled the federal government’s mandate to distribute information about Switzerland internationally, supplementing the online offerings of the radio and television stations of the SBC. Today, the international service is directed above all at an international audience interested in Switzerland, as well as at Swiss citizens living abroad.

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