Merchants who wonder if they should embrace social networking sites might be interested to know that these sites aren’t just growing in the West. They’re gaining popularity throughout the world.
Researcher comScore reports that more than 80 percent of Internet users around the world spend at least some time on social networking sites. But Facebook and Twitter aren’t the only sites gaining popularity in the social networking world. Though Facebook did reach more than half the online audience in October, microblogging sites are gaining steam, globally.
In fact, China’s Sina Weibo saw a 181-percent increase in number of users. Tumblr also saw important gains, too, increasing its user base by 172 percent. That put Tumblr at the No. 12 spot among social networking sites around the world.
comScore adds that 15- to 24-year-olds are still the most engaged on social sites and spend an average of eight hours on these sites. However, 55-year-olds and older are the fastest growing user base.
“Regardless of geography, social networks are weaving themselves ever more intricately into the fabric of the digital experience, opening a world of new opportunity for business and technology,” notes Linda Boland Abraham, comScore’s chief marketing officer.
