Almost one-third of adults in Ireland have a fake social media account, a new survey has found.
The study from Pure Telecom has said the average person has 4.4 social media accounts.
The research found that 44% of men admit to having a fake account, compared to 28% of women.
Half of adults aged 26 and under confessed to having a fake account.
What is it used for?
Of those who have a bogus account, 25% said they use it to view people's posts and accounts anonymously, while 19% said it enables them to hide their identity while engaging in controversial discussions online.
The same proportion have a fake account so that they can stay under the radar of potential and current employers, clients or colleagues.
Some 23% of adults have opened at least one social media account in the last 12 months, while 15% have deleted an account.
Almost 40% of adults have friends online who they have never met in-person.
Blunders
The research also explored the most common blunders that people make on social media.
These were found to be:
- Scrolling through a person's feed and liking a post from a long time ago (34%)
- Sending an embarrassing message to the wrong person or group (22%)
- Accidentally commenting on the wrong post or image (18%)
- Accidentally sharing a post or image that was intended solely for the eyes of close friends or family (15%)
- Posting publicly thinking it was private (13%)
- Accidentally liking an ex's post, or following/requesting to connect with them (10%)
- Accidentally liking an ex's partner's post, or following/requesting to connect with them (9%)
Pure Telecom CEO Paul Connell said social media has actually redefined friendships.
"Social media continues to be an integral tool for people to connect with one another," he said.
"It has become such a part of our everyday lives that our definition of friendships has changed.
"Now, as the power of connection allows people to meet and keep in touch from all over the world, a significant proportion of us are enjoying friendships that are entirely online.
"Many of us will probably find some comfort in our research, as it shows us that there are people just like us out there who have committed social media 'no-nos' in the past.
"With the online world playing such a significant role in our lives, these blunders can leave us seriously red-faced," he added.
The nationally representative survey of 1,004 adults in Ireland was conducted by Censuswide on behalf of Pure Telecom.
