A recent worldwide survey by market intelligence firm, Synovate, revealed that 58% of people don’t know what social networking is, plus over one third of social networkers are losing interest.
Over 13,000 people between the ages of 18 and 65 in seventeen markets around the world took part in the survey.
Across these 17 markets surveyed, 42% of people know what online social networking is, which leaves 58% in the dark… either saying ‘no’ or ‘don’t know’.
Overall, 26% across the markets surveyed are members of social networking sites. This peaked with the Netherlands at 49%, United Arab Emirates (UAE) at 46%, Canada at 44% and the US at 40%.
Synovate’s Managing Director for the UAE, George Christodoulides, says: “The popularity in the UAE makes sense. It is a place that’s very connected to the world; a hub for cultures, business and people.”
“These sites also offer a way for people to meet — online — in a society where traditionally men and women don’t always mix freely.”
The survey also asked social networkers to name the sites they belong to. Some markets seemed to favour multiple memberships and some seemed to stick to one or two major ones. The markets where social networking aficionados favour signed up for many sites are UAE, India, Indonesia, and Bulgaria.
Thirty seven percent of all people from the UAE, 35% of South Africans and 29% of Taiwanese agreed that they had more friends online than they have in the ‘real’ world.
On a global level, users did have some reservations about social networking, with 51% saying they were aware of the dangers of social networking such as identity theft, and 36% of respondents saying they were losing interest in social networking.
I don’t see how they choosed 13,000 respondents from all over the world, but I think it doesn’t reflect the truth at all. Most of people who asked me what does “social network” mean was from UAE and middle eastern countries.
This remind a study by Abiresearch, they took 500 users from facebook and myspace, then found that MySpace and Facebook Fast Becoming the Leading Mobile Social Networks. Very informative studies !
I don’t see how they choosed 13,000 respondents from all over the world, but I think it doesn’t reflect the truth at all. Most of people who asked me what does “social network” mean was from UAE and middle eastern countries.
This remind a study by Abiresearch, they took 500 users from facebook and myspace, then found that MySpace and Facebook Fast Becoming the Leading Mobile Social Networks. Very informative studies !