Young Danes ‘ditching Facebook for real world’

The survey commissioned by state broadcaster DR found that 20 percent of respondents said that they use social media once or less per month.

Of these, 70 per cent said that they had made a conscious choice to avoid logging on to Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and other such sites and apps.

People polled said a major reason for staying away from social media was a belief that spending too much time online led to missing out on ‘real life’.

“They [people who do not use social media] can be divided into two groups: those who don’t have the technical knowledge – typically older people – and those who see it as a waste of time, and therefore quit the platforms in a form of protest,” Lisbeth Klastrup, researcher in social media at the University of Copenhagen, told DR.

The latter group includes many who have made the conscious decision not to set up a profile, or who previously have had social media accounts before deleting them, according to the DR report.

But leaving social media is not a decision that can be taken lightly, and often involves adopting a strategy to stay in contact with the outside world in other ways, says Klastrup.

“We are now at the stage where social media is on an equal footing with television, radio and newspapers. It’s part of our world, and there is a risk of losing contact with that social world if you leave,” Klastrup said.

This loss is compensated for by an increased use of the more traditional forms, according to DR’s social media commentator Rasmus Thaarup – a view that fits with the idea of an anti-social media cultural trend.

“People are getting fed up with others constantly checking their phones instead of being in the here and now,” researcher Kirsten Poulsen told DR. “It has become too much, and it’s making people log off.”

“These are values that are spreading regardless of gender, age and demography,” Poulsen continued.

“There is a need to meet other people without a constant digital knock-on-the-door. We are tired of hearing about friends that have been to the gym. We want new news and new values – contact, contemplation, calm and depth.”