Global Publics Embrace Social Networking

Although still a relatively young technology, social networking is already a global phenomenon.

In regions around the world – and in countries with varying levels of economic development – people who use the Internet are using it for social networking. And this is particularly true of young people. Meanwhile, other forms of technology are also increasingly popular across the globe. Cell phone ownership and computer usage have grown significantly over the last three years, and they have risen dramatically since 2002. While social networking has spread globally, it is particularly widespread in the country where it began. Among the 22 publics surveyed, Americans most often say they use websites like Facebook and MySpace: 46% use such sites; 36% use the Internet, but do not access these sites; and 18% say they never go online.

The survey finds three countries close behind the United States in social network usage: in Poland (43%), Britain (43%) and South Korea (40%), at least four-in-ten adults say they use such sites. And at least a third engage in social networking in France (36%), Spain (34%), Russia (33%) and Brazil (33%).