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Pew Research Center
Use of social networking services has blown up globally, but some countries are more into it than others, according to a new Pew Global Attitudes study. Poland, Britain and South Korea rival the U.S. in usage, but Facebook and its ilk may have a Germany/Japan problem.
It's not surprising that the U.S. has the most social networkers by overall population: 46 percent of Americans say they're on it, while 36 percent of the population use the Internet but skip the social. (The remaining 18 percent aren't online at all.) A similar story can be told for highly wired Great Britain and South Korea.
What's crazy is that, in countries such as Poland, Russia, Brazil and Argentina, where a far larger portion of the population has no access to the Internet, an overwhelming majority of the people who do have Internet use it for social networking.
The report indicates that the opposite is true in Germany and Japan:
Germans and the Japanese stand out among highly connected publics for their comparatively low levels of participation in social networking. While 31% of Germans use these types of sites, 49% go online at least occasionally but choose not to use them. In Japan, 24% are engaged in social networking, while 44% have internet access but are not engaged.
The story gets a little more bizarre when the info is broken down by age and gender. In Germany, 86 percent of people under 30 are involved in social networking, but enthusiasm peters out almost immediately: 36 percent of those 30 to 49, and just 8 percent of those over 50, do the social network thing.
In Japan, it's a gender gap: 30 percent of men participate in social networking, while just 19 percent of women do. In the U.S., both genders are highly involved, but it's women who take the lead, with 52 percent participating, versus 41 percent of men.
So what does it mean? It's hard to say. As much as we like the Pew surveys, this particular one seemed a little thin on willing participants: In Germany and Britain, fewer than 100 people in the key 18- to 29-year-old demographic even responded. What's more, the survey took place between April 7 and May 8 of this year, when hardly a person knew the name Mark Zuckerberg. I demand a repeat of the survey!
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The Germans and Japanese are highly intelligent, no nonsense type of people and they are highly educated. Perhaps they see the stupidity of Facebook?
Amen , Amen JJ!!!!
I noticed when I lived in Germany that Germans tend to be more "face-to-face" socially interactive than Americans. Case in point: many of the pubs I went to in Germany were filled with long tables where everyone sits together like a family instead of being segregated in booths or 2-4 seater tables and I knew all of my neighbors within a week of moving into the neighborhood...it was greatness! :)
I agree, its a nice tool to have available. Some people just go overboard with it clacking out and posting every second of their lives in word and photographs online. It appeals to people's vanity I think as well. Somebody with what might be considered a dull life can feel a bit more important posting online.....hmm, I just second thought what I am doing right this second :-)
Justathought-2746696: Somebody with what might be considered a dull life can feel a bit more important posting online...hmm, I just second thought what I am doing right this second :-)
Yeah, because we're in the States, but if we were in Germany we'd be at the pub socializing. ;)
relytkof: they also serve beer by the keg on those halls! social anesthesia
There was beer there? I don't remember that part! *hiccup*
I lived / worked in Munich for a year. I still go there several times a year on business. Germany blows. A bunch of boring people. I have traveled around the world and never have I been to a worse place. And my grandparents came from there. They have pretty good beer though.
I don't use facebook either but no way the Germany people would do anything that is considered "fun". Attacking Poland and France is "fun" for the Germans I guess.
I confess, I'm on Facebook, but I agree it is pretty stupid. I've been "friended" (who knew that was a verb?) by some old school friends I'd lost touch with. Now, I remember why I lost touch! I've removed or hid several of them that post every time they blow their nose! Lame, very, lame.
One thing I have been astounded by is the narcissists--mainly younger relatives/friends of relatives, who post dozens and sometimes hundreds of pictures of themselves---a few with friends and family, but mostly picture after picture of themselves! Love yourself much? --- and these photos are open to everyone as I have not "friended" them.
Your absolutely correct.Facebook is for children.Why would I want to hook up with someone I never saw for 30 years.Must not of had a very good friendship in the first place if you never saw these people for years and years.
Facebook et al an anal 15 minutes of fame for an obviously huge number of losers grasping for longivity in their sad little lives. Who cares what you do? You have no friends? Online social networking has numerous implications in your future. The concept of keeping personal process private is obviously over for everyone who has to insure the world knows they are spilling their wine at midnight. Sad. How stupid are you lemmings? Pretty much.
Not everyone puts their business on facebook. I have one to keep in touch with friends who have moved away. There is nothing wrong with that.
Yeah.... wouldn't want to call them on the phone or anything. Wastes too many free minutes and you're not REALLY that interested anyway, right?
You don't like it, JUST DON'T JOIN! It IS really THAT simple!
I enjoy using Facebook to keep in contact with my friends from overseas. Yes, in many cases using a phone would work nicely, but do you know how much it costs to call a friend in Denmark or a cousin in Germany from the US? Those minutes add up! Either FB or skype is a much easier route in keeping contact :-)
Facebook et al an anal 15 minutes of fame for an obviously huge number of losers grasping for longivity in their sad little lives. Who cares what you do? You have no friends? Online social networking has numerous implications in your future. The concept of keeping personal process private is obviously over for everyone who has to insure the world knows they are spilling their wine at midnight. Sad. How stupid are you lemmings? Pretty much.
AMEN!!!
ok i am not a loser, my friends are all over the world, and I will not pay some stupid phone company the outrageous amounts they want to call someone, when I can talk to them on messaging services for cheap and only use facebook to meet new people. Here in my hometown thier only losers and users and so many fat women, the chairs around here are all XX size
But if you think about, unless you have free Internet you're paying one way or the other.
Facebook et al an anal 15 minutes of fame for an obviously huge number of losers grasping for longivity in their sad little lives. Who cares what you do? You have no friends? Online social networking has numerous implications in your future. The concept of keeping personal process private is obviously over for everyone who has to insure the world knows they are spilling their wine at midnight. Sad. How stupid are you lemmings? Pretty much.
Not surprising to me... I've lived in both Germany and Japan. A lot less "look at me!" syndrome than here in the US.
there you go..the trend where this is the most popular is individualistic cultures. The Collective cultures either seem to be less interested or WORKING!
Facebook et al an anal 15 minutes of fame for an obviously huge number of losers grasping for longivity in their sad little lives. Who cares what you do? You have no friends? Online social networking has numerous implications in your future. The concept of keeping personal process private is obviously over for everyone who has to insure the world knows they are spilling their wine at midnight. Sad. How stupid are you lemmings? Pretty much.
YES! we GET your point already. You are far superior to the rest of the world, yada, yada, yada.
PYRRHO is such a loser that he feels the need to multible post over and over. He is too stupid to fiqure out how to use facebook anyways, so who cares what he thinks.
In my opinion, Facebook, all social networks, are the biggest waste of time ever invented next to video games. Thes sites have caused far more harm than good, bullying, kidnappings, even assault and murder in some cases. I think they all should be banished from the internet. I'll stick with e-mail. thank you.
Obviously YOU don't have any friends, and a SAD little life. If you took a minute to look into it you would see that there are options that not just anybody can view your profile or read anything in it that you write about yourself or anyone else. Don't knock it less you tried it. Where do YOU get off on calling people names that you don't even know? You sound like a real DICK SMOKER................
some of us have real life friends!! We actually see them in person and talk on the phone. What an amazing concept eh?
You actually believe that those "privacy settings" work?
Amen to Jason Jones,
I just graduated high school and keep in touch with my former schoolmates through Facebook since we're all spread throughout the country (and in some cases, even further), does that make them not "real life friends" anymore?
What an amazing concept it is to still be able to communicate with my friends who live hours away and different schedules than myself. Sometimes it's not possible to see your friends in person (unless they're home for break) or talk on the phone (if they're out of the country).
Like someone commented earlier; if you don't like it, just don't join. It's that simple. You worry about your life and I'll worry about mine.
I think Facebook and other social networking site have made our society hight unsociable. We used to call each other and talk or meet somewhere and visit.. Now it's "Hey did you see what she/he commented on" it's crap!! We as a race need to get back intouch with each other before we lose what it is that makes us human... Being able to interact with each other face to face not facebook to facebook!!! It's just my opinion... and yes, I know.. All opinions are like @$$holes.. they all stink...
I have never heard of a situation when after an interview a prospective employer says I am not going to hire that guy...let me check out his Facebook and then say WOW because of what I saw I am going to hire him. I have heard the oposite happen a lot.
I dont have time to sit in front of a computer and paste pic`s so people i dont know and dont want to know can see them, there is no privacy these days and you cannot trust anyone i am not in to the look at me culture, so my question is what is the good of facebook any way,its just a bunch of kids and kids that wont grow up .I say shut it down it is usless
"What's crazy is that, in countries such as Poland, Russia, Brazil and Argentina, where a far larger portion of the population has no access to the Internet..."
Nothing crazy about it. The actual question was if you use internet/email, not if you have access to it. In Poland internet access is built-in with pretty much any housing unit constructed after 2004. Internet access speeds with up to 120Mbit/sec do not raise any eyebrows... Additionally almost every coffee shop has free Wi-Fi and so far we have not found a place where my sister's 3G GSM thumbstick would not work (dense population on a small geographical area has some advantages)... So technically everybody who chooses to have a computer or a cell phone has internet access (the fact that you could not get my grandma to use a phone for anything more than calling is another issue enitrely).
The thing is that for older people internet access is not necessary for anything... Almost everything can be taken care of in person and on paper...
In my parent's house my younger sister is the only plugged-in person, so it is fair to say that out of 3 people living there only one is a serious Internet user... As a result almost everybody who cares about Internet is on Facebook, etc, because those are almost all people below 35 yrs of age...
I do not use, I personally do not see a need for it and therefore I have no reason to participate.
I confess I started a page last year...and look at it/use it once a month maybe. I got tired of the "friend" requests (just because you're friends with a person who happens to be a friend of another person who is friends with one of my friends does not mean that I want to friend you!), Farmville and all of the minute by minute updates. I like my personal life. If you're truly my friend then there isn't any need to update my status. I'll just talk to you face to face later today.
Facebook is creepy, and all the other so called social networks, I mean really, you have all this tech stuff and your still lonely, you hide behind a screen and you can be anybody, I agree with April-2454637 bullying, kidnapping, murder, so called hook-ups. what ever happined to good old fashion face to face communitation. And video games, waste of time and a lots of money. One game cost over $100 one game. Hey to each it's on, I'd reather ride my motorcycle or restore American muscle cars of the 70 era, Now thats American pride.
Huh Bobby, what do you and others do on these web sites then? Where is this bullying, I hate that some think the internet is this evil thing that makes others CHOOSE to allow bullies
It is creepy. It scares me that I used to have an account and had like 300 pictures or more "tagged" on there. I suppose it can be used for good things, like keeping in touch with family or friends, but to me it wasn't worth using anymore. The bad outweighed the good.
Learn to spell stopfb....lol
I don't know what you're talking about since I didn't misspell anything. Sit behind your computer and bash me for no reason. You are cool.
Yes you did.
WTF? What did I misspell? Can anyone tell me what I misspelled?
I see no misspelling.
Thank you! First of all, it gets on my nerves when people attack others for spelling mistakes. Secondly, I am good at spelling and don't appreciate being told that I misspelled something when I DIDN'T! Thank you, Meanite. :)
No problem. :)
I don't see any misspelling on stopfb either. But there are several others that I have seen the misspelling.
I didn't notice any misspelling. Maybe it's because people are used to reading Internet grammar and can't recognize proper spelling?
Thanks, Martha and Ian. I love it when the spelling police are actually the ones who can't spell. Hehe.
Facebook is for losers who want to communicate in a sheepish way w/out talking. A flash of thyself for the world to see- a half naked pose up your nose. AKA loser/ Its actually a stolen idea from Myspace w/a twist- but this is a free lifting society where the blind lead the blind all for a good God time- from the folks in DC to the LA freeway we're all about money honey in this land of milk and honey
If you think FB is like that, how about the rest of the internet? What are you doing right now?
...You're on the internet. You're "communicating in a sheepish way without talking."
I find no problem with people that use or don't use the ease of internet, e-mails, texting, facebook or whatever else. The thing is don't forget things like the library, calling on the phone, sending Christmas cards or whatever also. It's just the convenience of being able to share your daughter's dance recital pictures with your friends and family that are in other states or countries in a nick of time. It's pretty convenient to have all of these technological things available to us but still necessary to teach our children the concept of socializing in person too. I am a mother of a teen boy and we have rules when it comes to his texting. No texting when we are visiting family, have company, at dinner or at a family outing. And once bedtime comes that phone is mine. Same thing goes for the iPod, I don't think it's the social networking or whatever else is out there, it's just the parents or adults that don't follow certain guidelines.
we were warned about these things in the bible- when adam and eve had that poison I-phone/ we better watch out for falling stars and wiki-faced monsters- the end is near.
@freelunch4all, don't know if you're meaning to be comical but that was funny : )
My wife joined Facebook to see a music video her nephew did in England. After that she was contacted by multiple lonely Turkish men as well as people she hadn't heard from in 20-30 years. My kids are all on Facebook with similar experiences. My observation of all of this has creeped me out and I have resisted their urging to join. If there's someone in my past I'm not in touch with, there's a reason. If I want to share something with friends or family, I have an e-mail address.
John - I think you are the male version of me! I agree 100%. :)
If you make a few -honest to goodness, bail you out of trouble, hold you while you cry your eyes out, keep your secrets no matter what, watch your back- friends during you lifetime, you are doing well. E-friends........not interested, thanks.
@John, my husband and I have a facebook but our kids don't. It's actually pretty safe you just have to set strict privacy settings and not "friend" everyone and their mother nor keep your profile open to everyone. I have 42 "friends" and they're all people I have kept in touch with either via e-mail or phone and as for my husband he has 12 "friends" and that's his family in Mexico. I do respect that it's not for everyone though, I was really paranoid about joining facebook but after frequent persistence from my family and old friend that moved to Texas (I'm in California) I decided to join. Especially after my reassurance of the privacy settings from my cousin that also works for Verisign.
Who needs Facebook? There is a bunch of bullying and name calling just here on an article opinion page! The question isn't whether or not you use FB, but why it apparently matters so much to other people. Maybe you need to re-evaluate your lives as well, if you want to sit here and insult social-networking users as something to do.
TRUE - If anybody thinks what you enter in Facebook is private you are even more the fool. Nothing posted to Facebook is lost to those that administer Facebook. There is nothing private period as everything on Facebook privacy settings or otherwise is recorded and retained. Somebody has access to everything in one big big basket. You are but an egg and depending on how big a mouth you have somebody somewhere has you on radar.
I guess maybe they (Japan/Germany) have more interesting things to keep up with. I tried a little myspace when I was younger. It never really took off with me. Didn't bother with facebook at all. Since trends go in a loop, fade out and come back, why bother reposting everything and re-'friending'(?) over and over again? Coupled with these facts are too many reported security issues and complications with work and how way too many people are prone to lie or exagerrate themselves in these online things I figure; No point. Same thing with Twitter and youtube fame. Why try so hard for so little?
Note: I do actually have a pen pal I (via Email) but even that is kind of shallow to me. I would much rather write letters than type them. On the whole, the internet is a good idea but is very shallow.
If you hate facebook so much, stop talking about it! I think those who are criticizing it so much are putting too much thought to the whole thing.