Belfast is the most social media-obsessed area in Northern Ireland, according to new research.

The study conducted by NewCasinos, analysed the last 12 months of Google Trends data for the areas with the highest search interest for the top ten social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to see which areas had the highest levels of search interest out of 100 across the UK, relative to the total searches in that region. Search interest for each platform was totalled to find out which areas had the highest combined search interest to find out which areas are the most obsessed with social media.

Belfast, Northern Ireland is the fourth most social media-obsessed area in the UK and takes the top spot for Northern Ireland. Research reveals that Twitter is the top search for Belfast, in which the city also shows the highest search interest for the social media platform amongst any other place in the UK. Belfast also showed the third highest level of search interest in Reddit, behind Long Ashton and Cambridge. It also ranked high for Instagram searches.

Barking was revealed to be the most social media-obsessed place in the UK, with high levels of search interest in TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp, Pinterest and Snapchat. Barking ranked second highest among Google searches for TikTok, behind Oldham in Manchester. It also ranked high for Google searches for Instagram, third to London and Beckenham, respectively. WhatsApp, Snapchat and Pinterest were other social media platforms in which Barking showed high levels of search interest. 

Lurgan, was the only other NI area to make the list in seventh most social media-obsessed area in the UK. It has the fourth greatest level of search interest in Twitter in the UK. Lurgan also shows high levels of interest in Snapchat and Reddit. It is the second area in Northern Ireland to make the top ten list.

A spokesperson for NewCasinos said: “Social media is a part of our daily lives. This data reveals which places in the UK can’t get enough of social media, and what the most popular apps in each area are over the last year. Despite being one of the biggest social networks, Facebook didn’t appear as a top search for any area. Rather, apps such as TikTok, Instagram, and WhatsApp had the highest levels of interest on Google search.”

The study was conducted by NewCasinos, who specialise in helping people find and compare new casinos. They aim to review new casinos before all the competitors and place safety above all else.