The State of Social Media Around the World in 2010

The State of Social Media Around the World
2010
By Brian Solis, blogger at BrianSolis.com and principal of FutureWorks, Author of the new book
Engage!, Co-Author, Putting the Public Back in Public Relations and Now Is Gone

If you were to look at Social Media the United States and many other parts of the
world, you would believe that the world of Social Media was flat, dominated by
social continents including Facebook, Twitter, blogs, YouTube, and Flickr. As we
zoom in, we visualize other established and emerging social services that depict
provinces and outlying settlements of our social atlas.

Upon publishing the original Conversation Prism, which was the culmination of a
year's work documenting and organizing the social web by usage and
conversational patterns, the world responded by creating Conversation Prisms

(cc) Brian Solis, www.briansolis.com - Twitter, @briansolis

specific to each country. I shared several new social maps in "The Landscape for
International Social Networking."

Over the years, other maps emerged that documented leading social networks
around the world as well as the social behavior associated within each country. As
Social Media is truly global and relationships are truly without borders, I too have
spent a great deal of time researching the networks that host conversations
relevant to my projects regardless of geographic location.

Italian blogger Vincenzo Cosenza has for the second time, published a visual map
that portrays the most popular social networks around the world based on the
most recent traffic data (December 2009) as measured by Alexa & Google Trends
for Websites.


Upon review, it's clear that Facebook, at 400 million, is truly earning a global
audience, which naturally burrows its social roots with every new connection and
the connections of connections forged within the network. According to research,
Facebook dominates in 100 out of 127 countries measured.

If we were to analyze the top three social networks by what many argue are the
top 10 markets for social networking, our view comes into focus and allows us to
see where our attention and participation is required in our global efforts.

Australia

1. Facebook
2. MySpace
3. Twitter

Canada

1. Facebook
2. MySpace
3. Flickr

China


1. QQ - 300 million active accounts
2. Xiaonei
3. 51

France

1. Facebook
2. Skyrock
3. MySpace

Germany

1. Facebook
2. StudiVZ
3. MySpace

Italy

1. Facebook
2. Netlog
3. Badoo

Russia

1. V Kontakte
2. Odnoklassniki
3. LiveJournal

Spain

1. Facebook
2. Tuenti
3. Fotolog

United Kingdom


1. Facebook
2. Bebo
3. MySpace

United States

1. Facebook
2. MySpace
3. Twitter

In other parts of the world, social networks that might not have registered
previously among leading experts, emerge as candidates when location and
society prove paramount in highly targeted, culturally-aware programs.

For example, Google's Orkut is Brazil's top social network.

Hi5 is leading in Mexico, Peru, Portugal, Romania, Thailand and Mongolia.

In the Czech Republic, Lide is the network of choice.

Maktoob is the social hub in Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Oman, Saudi Arabia,
Yemen.

South Korea is focusing its dialogue and connections in Cyworld.

Social networking in Guadeloupe and Martinque is concentrated at Skyrock.

Mixi is the leading central station for social activity in Japan.

The leaderboard of those countries not yet friended by or fans of Facebook
include:

Hungary - Iwiw

Poland - Nasza-klasa

Philippines - Friendster

Netherlands - Hyves


Lithuania - One

Latvia - Draugiem

Taiwan - Wretch

Zing - Vietnam

The Global Web Index
The race for supremacy in social networking is only part of the story. As in any
race, we typically expect a winner to reach an end. However, this competition is
absent of finish line and as a result, a true overall winner is beside the point.
Many networks will enjoy time in the spotlight until their luster ages and a new
framework for engagement lures our friends of friends, our friends, and finally
our attention and participation. As consumers, we go where we are not only
wanted, but also where we can make an impact.

While we've reviewed the top social networks across the social Web, ranked by
countries spanning the globe, the balance of the story is represented in the
actions that define social media engagement within each network and influenced
by the culture of each country of prevalence.

TrendStream analyzed social media activity around the world and captured the
results in a stunning infographic.

This graph essentially unravels the ties that bind us and peels back the layers of
social networking technologies and platforms to reveal how real people are
adopting and engaging in the social web.

The map demystifies how social media is embraced around the world,
demonstrating that social computing and collaboration is far from ubiquitous.
And, in many countries, how we use social media is much different than how we
will use it over time. We're still in the very early stages of the social (r)evolution..

TrendStream in partnership with Lightspeed Research interviewed 32,000 Web
users in 16 countries. As such, the Global Web Index analyzes active social web


involvement and then organizes and presents behavior by volume (in millions).
Reviewing the Global Web Index and fusing the information with the data
included in the World Map of Social Networks, we can get a clear indication of
how social behavior defines social networks and to what extent. It's a goldmine of
data for any brand or government agency seeking a more influential form of
propaganda (2.0).

Social Web Involvement is categorized as:

Pink - Uploading photos online

Purple - Uploading videos

Blue - Managing a social network profile

Orange - Blogging

Pink - Micro-blogging

Grey - Percentage of population with access to social tools

Presenting the Data
Australia

Leading Network: Facebook

Social Network Profiles: Access= 40% | Users = 5m
Photos: Access = 39.1% | Users = 4.9m


Canada


Social Network Profiles: Access = 46.2% | Users = 10.2m
Photos: Access = 40.9% | Users = 9m

China

Leading Network: QQ


Blogging: Access = 46% | Users = 89.7m

France




Germany



India



Micro Blogging: Access = 24% | Users = 8.4m

Italy




Japan

Leading Network: Mixi


Mexico




The Netherlands

Leading Network: Hyves

Photos: Access = 37% | Users = 4.8m
Videos: Access = 10% | Users = 1.3m
Micro Blogging: Access = 3.5% | Users = .45m


Russia

Leading Network: V Kontakte

Social Network Profiles: Access = 48% | Users = 15.3m

South Korea




Micro Blogging: Access = 14% | Users = 4m

Spain




UK



USA




Observations
In 50% of the countries included in this study, online photo sharing dominated
the list of social media applications. It is also among the oldest of social services
within the included mix.

44% of the countries in this survey embrace online profiles in social networks
suggesting that their personal brand, whether for engaging in personal or
professional interactions, is becoming increasingly important.


81% shared photos and online profiles as the top 1 and 2 activities with the
exception of Japan, China, and South Korea where blogging displaced social
profiles as a top application.

94% of countries reported that micro-blogging (think Twitter) were among the
least pervasive with the exception of Japan, where it ranked fourth - just below
social network profiles and above video.

China's digital footprint is massive, defined by the incredible volume of content
creators and the contribution of their social objects. As the study reports, "due to
the inward looking nature of China's internet economy combined with the
language mean that this volume of content does not impact the broader Internet."

TechCrunch also observed a tremendous opportunity for Facebook in Russia.
Leading network Vkontakte.ru is in many regards, a Facebook clone. However, its
facsimile of a growing global network is also indicative of a potential deal.
Vkontakte is owned in large part by Digital Sky Technologies, a company which
also owns a noteworthy stake in Facebook. A deal of this magnitude would
further socialize Russian and other worldwide users under one truly global social
network.

As we examine opportunities for global social networking, we are reminded that
anthropology and sociology play critical roles in observing and documenting
behavior, supporting cultures, and established governances for dictating how
content, information, and relationships forge and flourish. In order to ensure
relevance and earn significance within networks, we must think locally when
examining opportunities globally. In addition, as culture and behavior shifts
across countries, they also establish a new dynamic within each Social Networks
creating a universal population that adapts what they know to what they learn
and experience.

Connect with Brian Solis: Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Facebook
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Brian Solis is globally recognized as one of most prominent thought leaders and
published authors in new media. A digital analyst, sociologist, and futurist, Solis has
influenced the effects of emerging media on the convergence of marketing,
communications, and publishing. He is principal of FutureWorks, an award-winning New
Media agency in Silicon Valley, and has led interactive and social programs for Fortune
500 companies, notable celebrities, and Web 2.0 startups. BrianSolis.com is ranked
among the top of world's leading business and marketing online resources.

Solis is the author of Engage! The complete guide for businesses to build, cultivate and
measure success in the new Web.

In 2009, Brian Solis, along with Deirdre Breakenridge, released, Putting the Public back
in Public Relations.

Connect with Brian Solis on Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Google Buzz, Facebook
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The State of Social Media Around the World in 2010

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