Globally, about one in five adults has visited a social networking Web site, and 20% of regular Internet users had visited these types of Web sites in the past 30 days, according to the study.
South Korea led all other markets in popularity of social networking. Forty-nine percent of all adults there had visited at least one social networking site in the past, while over half of all online adults around the world had visited a social networking Web site in the preceding 30 days, according to Ipsos Insight, which attributed the popularity of social networking in South Korea to Cyworld, one of the oldest and most successful social networking sites in the world.
According to Cyworld, about 18 million people in South Korea have accounts with their service, about 30% of the country's population. Only 24% of Americans have ever visited a social networking Web site.
Ipsos Insight reported that online chat, text messaging, e-mail, video, voice chat, file sharing, blogging, and discussion groups help social networking sites create strong relationship with users -- "beyond the simple transactional nature many sites have with their audience."
"Social networking Web sites, such as Cyworld, MySpace, Facebook, and Mixi, have emerged as major factors in the culture of communication for adults globally, which is underscored by their popularity with Internet users even among lesser developed markets," Cruikshank said.
Ipsos Insight said that at least two-thirds of all Internet users in most global markets have visited social networking sites in the preceding 30 days, indicating success with creating captive audiences.
Subsea cable alternatives can provide a level of comfort for those concerned about disruptions. Realistically, they will continue to play a small, but critical role in the short term.
Maintaining existing network infrastructures often incurs huge technical debt before newer technologies are adopted over time.
Amid ongoing regional uncertainties, telecom infrastructure in the Middle East has expand to include terrestrial low-latency network infrastructure, which offers resilience and agility in navigating political complexities without relying solely on undersea networks.
