By Rakhee Naik. Ask anyone how they feel about their social media use and you’ll likely get an admission before an opinion. Research from consumer insights agency KLA shows that in South Africa, social media isn’t simply a reach channel. Habit, identity and anxiety all play a role in how people use these platforms, making them powerful but complicated environments for brands.
KLA uses YouGov Profiles data, which tracks internet-connected South African adults aged 18+, to conduct its research.
Around six in 10 South African internet users spend more than an hour a day on social media, and four in 10 fall into the heavy-use bracket of more than two hours. That adds up to a substantial amount of time each day — and the data suggests people are fully aware of it.
A habit people can’t quite defend
Seventy percent agree that they often scroll aimlessly through social media. For most South Africans using these platforms, scrolling doesn’t always have a clear purpose.
At the same time, 73% say they sometimes worry about how long they spend on social media. Looking at the two findings together shows how closely the behaviours are connected.
Among South Africans who say they definitely worry about their time on social media, 60% also definitely agree that they scroll aimlessly. This is three times the rate among those who say they do not worry about their usage at all. People are not scrolling and feeling fine about it — they’re scrolling, aware that it is aimless, and worrying about it.
Curated identity, whatever the dose
Alongside the habitual use is another consistent finding: 74% of South Africans say they really care how they present themselves on social media. And this isn’t limited to heavy users. Even those ultra-light users spending 30 minutes a day or less on social media show strong agreement: 38% definitely care about their self-presentation, rising only modestly to 49% among heavy users. How people present themselves online is core to the platform experience even when they don’t spend much time there.
A smaller but still substantial 57% of South Africans agree they look for experiences that will make for good social media content. Interestingly, it isn’t the heaviest users driving this behaviour most strongly, it’s the medium-use group — those spending one to two hours a day — who are most likely to say they shape their offline experiences around what will look good online (69% agree, ahead of 57% among heavy users).
Age also makes a difference: South Africans aged 35 to 44 are the most likely to say they seek out content-worthy experiences. They also record the highest “definitely agree” score for aimless scrolling of any age group. If there’s a single audience running South African social media culture, it’s this one.
Higher-income South Africans are the most likely to say they definitely worry about their time on social media: 53%, against 46% of middle-income and 37% of lower-income respondents. Those with arguably the most competing demands on their time are also the ones most conflicted about how they’re spending it on social media. Gender differences are smaller. Women are slightly more likely than men to say they definitely scroll aimlessly, at 40% versus 35%.
Attention comes with tension
The data shows a population deeply engaged with social media, but many have mixed feelings about the amount of time they spend there. This ambivalence is precisely what responsible targeting and creative should address.
The first implication is about attention. If seven in 10 people are scrolling with no clear intent, a brand’s real competitor in that moment isn’t another advertiser, it’s boredom itself. Creative has to give them a reason to stop.
Tone is important too. Campaigns that acknowledge the tension — that people are on the platform more than they would like to be, and know it — tend to resonate better with a self-aware audience than glossy messaging that treats the feed as a neutral, guilt-free space.
Self-presentation is another consideration. When three-quarters of an audience say they care deeply about how they are perceived online, creative content that helps people express their identity, rather than simply asking for their attention, carries more currency.
But that same sensitivity around identity and self-image is where targeting requires restraint. An audience invested in curation and aware of its own anxiety about the platform, should not be nudged towards comparison, inadequacy or compulsive use for the sake of a click. The brands that succeed will be those that treat social media as an emotionally loaded space and design for it, rather than as a reach channel that happens to exploit people’s insecurities.
Methodology
YouGov Profiles+: Segmentation and media planning tool providing a comprehensive view of consumers’; worlds, with data collected daily.
Population: South African internet users aged 18 and older.
Sample size: n=899
Dataset: Profiles+ South Africa, 31 August 2026
Rakhee Naik is a managing consultant: Insights atKLA.
