On Social Media, Most Consumers Play Nice: Survey Says

The Web may be home to plenty of negative chatter, but turns out most people have no interest in badmouthing companies online. In fact, according to a new study by AYTM Market Research, a majority of Facebook and Twitter users have never mentioned a company at all.

AYTM found that 57.8 percent of U.S. Facebook users have never mentioned a brand in a status update. And 25.3 percent of users who have say they only make positive comments about brands. Just 0.5 percent said their comments are always negative.

Results were similar for Twitter, with 61.3 percent of U.S. Twitter users saying they never tweet about brands, 25.4 percent sending only positive tweets, and just 0.4 percent saying they only tweet negative things about brands.

Why it matters to your business: About 16 percent of Facebook users post both positive and negative comments about brands, and slightly more than 12 percent of Twitter users do the same. But if you're hiding out from social media because you're worried about negative comments, it's time to face reality. Negative comments are out there, yes -- but not nearly as many as you think. And by creating a presence for your business on social media, you give yourself a way to respond to them and clear the air.