Social Networks around the World: Facebook and QQ at the top
Posted by Manuela Barreto @ June 22nd, 2009 in Social Marketing
(click on image to enlarge)
The above image is a map of the world that displays the most popular social networks by country. The map was created using ManyEyes, a website and also an IBM visualization tool, that allows users to upload data and produce graphic representations for others to view and comment upon.
The map was put together by Vincenzo Consenza, Director at Digital PR, who used recent website traffic data from both Google Trends and Alexa to feature the latest tendencies of the social media landscape.
The current situation demonstrates Facebook as the most dominant social media force in North America and Europe while it continues to grow its 200+ million users. But the largest social media forum in the planet is actually QQ. QQ is the most popular instant messaging network in China with 300 million users.
QQ started off as an instant messaging (IM) tool to support online message communications and instant voice, video and file transmission. Later, it integrated multiple mobile communication methods, enabling users to send messages to mobile phone users through the platform.
An interesting observation is that of Orkut. While most South Americans seem to prefer Facebook as their social network, Brazil chooses Orkut. And to highlight an even more interesting fact, India does too. There are different theories that explain why Brazilians select Orkut as their preferred social utility. One of the theories is its relevancy to everyday life. Apart from its easy pronunciation, Brazilians also associate Orkut to the popular yogurt drink, Yakult, hence most people find it easy to remember.
Other countries like Mexico (Hi5), Poland (Nasza-klasa) and Libya (Maktoob) have not yet surrendered themselves to the king of social media, instead they seem reluctant to change platforms especially if their current choice satisfies their communication needs. Some of these networks you’re probably seeing for the very first time, at least I am. For example: Cyworld (South Korea), Lidé (Czech Republic), Iwiw (Hungary), and Odnoklassniki (Moldova).
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Comments
Social Networks around the World: Facebook and QQ at the top , 77Lab « Unemployment Killer’s Daily Blog
June 22nd, 2009
[...] Read the rest here: Social Networks around the World: Facebook and QQ at the top , 77Lab [...]
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August 31st, 2009
[...] Social Networks around the World: Facebook and QQ at the top lab.77agency.com/social-marketing/social-networks-around-the-world-facebook-and-qq-at-the-top-3074 – view page – cached (click on image to enlarge) The above image is a map of the world that displays the most popular social networks by country. The map was created using — From the page [...]
Isabel
September 25th, 2009
Hi,
I was reading this post and I have to say that you’re wrong when you say that the brazilians prefer the orkut because remembers the yogurt yakult or it’s more easy to pronunciate…..thats definitely wrong. I’m brazilian and I have orkut, and in my researches, the motive for brazilians use the orkut is because it came first and it was very popular. When facebook arrives, the orkut was already consolidated in the lower classes (that represents more then 50% of users), not to say it’s more easy to manipulate.
You should do better your job and pass the right information or people will think that the brazilians are a bunch of ignorant people, witch is not.
m.barreto
September 25th, 2009
Hi Isabel,
thanks so much for your comments . It’s actually great to have a genuine Brazilian give us a more reasonable explanation to the Orkut case.
It wasn’t our intention to offend anyone, and as the post said ‘There are different theories that explain why Brazilians select Orkut…’ and that’s how people have referred to them, as theories. To read more on this I invite you to check out http://www.searchenginejournal.com/why-brazil-loves-orkut/3082/
thanks for stopping by!