Over the last 24 hours I’ve read a few articles based on research statistics about social network usage around the world. What is interesting is how the results can vary dramatically. The differences depending on whether it is calculated on a population basis or internet usage basis.
According to a global survey by Forrester Research (95,000 Internet users in 18 countries) published this week, in China, India, Mexico and Brazil, where Internet penetration is lower than in the US and Europe, 93% of people online use social networks at least once a month. And this includes actively writing a blog or uploading a picture or music rather than just passively reading posts.
Using country size as a basis gives rather different figures, which can be seen within the same survey as well as results in studies such as those by the Pew Research Center last month.
No matter which way the data is cut though, there are some great media headlines and statements to be had, such as: “Italians are twice as likely to visit a social networking site as Germans.”
From a marketing perspective, all the results reflect that the USA is certainly not the only market to focus on when it comes to social networking. Google+ for example has seen its highest penetration in Canada, followed by France, Spain and Germany, according to a recent ComScore study.
So where will the ongoing engagement online develop? This is not certian, but Internet users around the world will continue to try out new and improved networks to find the ones that really meet their individual needs.
