In a global study conducted across 23 markets, Twitter investigated why people turn to Twitter and what makes their experience unique and special on our platform.

The results were fascinating, as they were largely consistent across the globe: Twitter’s audience operates in a receptive mindset when using the platform, and the audience is also highly influential across a vast array of topic categories.

Here’s what Twitter found out about our Australian audience.

#brandlove

Twitter isn’t a place where brands are just tolerated, they’re encouraged to be present and actively engaging and tweeting, with a vast majority of users following brands on Twitter (76 per cent).

They are also more likely to be loyal to brands they love and become ambassadors as they can discuss directly with brands and share it.

Over half of Australian users publish their opinions on Twitter and two thirds look for opinions on products, services, or brands on the platform (76 per cent).

Not only do users share what they think with others, more than half also have conversations directly with brands (62 per cent).

This is consistent with a lot of the research we’ve done in the past that shows having more of a presence on Twitter makes brands seem more responsive, open, and caring.

And because users are in a discovery mindset, they are more likely to consume and memorise brand messages.

For Australians, Twitter is the best place to see what’s happening, discover, share, and engage with brands.

Conversations with and about brands are happening on Twitter, so it’s the ideal place to have a voice, be a part of conversation, launch new stuff, share information, and connect on shared passions.

#passion & #influence

Australian on Twitter are more passionate about the topics they care about and being informed is something they feel is important.

They over index on influence across a wide range of areas of interest and across all product categories Twitter measured.

For Australians on Twitter, sharing is caring. They’re more likely to share great content they find, give their opinion about the things they’re interested in and advise their friends and family about a purchase (+68 per cent vs. the online population).

Twitter is what’s happening

Twitter continues to be where Australians turn to find out and discuss what’s happening, in real-time, whether they’re interested in #auspol, #aleague, or #TheBachelorAU.

In fact, half of Australian users say when something isn’t discussed on Twitter, they question how important it really is.

To keep up to date with the latest news, users visit Twitter frequently, with half visiting multiple times each day.

The vast majority of users say they see news on Twitter first, before TV (89 per cent), and users consider Twitter to be a trustworthy source of information (61 per cent).

They also appreciate seeing diverse perspectives on the platform, so they have a more holistic view on the topics and events they care about.

#discovery

Twitter users are explorers, who say they learn new and valuable things on the platform (76 per cent), and things they hadn’t seen before (59 per cent).

They’re more open-minded, more likely to want to discover new things, and are more likely to be the first to try new stuff.