5 Countries Where Social Media Rules
According to Pew Global, the five biggest social media-using countries in the world are Great Britain, the United States, Russia, the Czech Republic, and Spain.
Facebook has become a major global player, but it’s not the only game in town, especially in countries that have their own favorite list of social networking sites.
Here are a few facts about social media usage in these countries:
United Kingdom
Perhaps unsurprisingly, UK and U.S. internet users top the list of social media junkies.
In the UK, more than 60% of those online have Facebook accounts. Other popular social media sites in the country include YouTube, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
United States
Facebook is the clear winner for sheer reach in the United States.
The social media giant lost nearly 1.4 million users in early December 2012, but still holds more than 167 million accounts in the U.S.
Blogging is also big in the U.S., with Blogger and WordPress both holding a healthy share of online users. Google Plus started gaining a foothold in 2012, and Twitter and Pinterest both remain popular.
Russia
The third biggest consumer of social networking sites is Russia. According to ComScore, the average internet user in of the former Soviet Union country spends almost twice as much time on social networking as his or her American counterpart.
The most popular network in Russia is Vkontakte, visited by 73% of the country’s internet users. The site is best known for its audio and video content, and also provides games and other social activities.
Russian users also connect with former classmates and friends on the related site, Odnoklassniki. And they read a lot of blogs; LiveJournal, LiveInternet, and Blogspot are among Russia’s most popular websites.
Czech Republic
According to a Management and Marketing study, Facebook has gained a major foothold in the Czech Republic, used by 3.5 million people in the country. That translates to 34% of the total population and 52% of all internet users as of 2012.
Czechs use social media mostly to stay in touch with friends and relatives, and to plan activities.
Many also use their social networking sites to get advice and recommendations for purchases and life situations.
Spain
Spanish internet users have their own version of Facebook, called Tuenti, which still has more than 13 million active users.
But Facebook is sweeping the country, raking in 14.9 million users as of 2012. That accounts for 85% of all social networkers and 50% of all internet users in Spain.
Less popular but still hanging on in the country is YouTube, with 10% of total online users watching videos on the site. Trailing behind other social networks in Spain is Twitter, with just 5% of internet users tweeting as of 2012.
Social media sites continue to grow around the world, providing an easy place for people to connect and keep in touch.
As technology and internet service improves in many countries, social networking will continue to grow.
About the Author: Freelance writer Angie Mansfield covers topics for both consumers and small business owners, including billfloat. Her work has appeared on a range of business and consumer websites.
I’m so glad I read this that I’m going to go through the archive and pick up all the hints for my blog and use them to their fullest! If I had not read this I would still be a very lonely fur in Blogger Land. Thanks!
Hey Angie, I am totally surprised to see this list. Earlier i thought my country India will surely be at least in top 3. But it’s very surprising to see that it’s not even in top 5. But it’s OK and thanks for sharing this article.