Social networking now bigger than e-mail
by Stevie Smith - Mar 9 2009, 19:00
Nielsen survey suggests e-mail is losing its draw to the likes of Bebo. Image: Bebo.
The continuing market growth of online social networking services seemingly knows no bounds after a new report this week revealed that the likes of Facebook and MySpace are now officially bigger than personal e-mail.
According to a survey conducted by Nielsen examining the online habits of UK-based computer users, 66.8 percent of respondents said they spent a considerable amount of time logged in to social network sites and blogging services – marking a growth rate some four times quicker than other listed usage categories.
Moreover, the Nielsen survey found that average online users plough around ten minutes of every hour into social destinations such as Facebook, MySpace and Bebo, making them “a fundamental part of the global online experience.”
“Social networking will continue to alter not just the global online landscape, but the consumer experience at large,” commented Nielsen Online chief executive officer John Burbank in an accompanying statement.
While online search remains the top point of entry for the online masses thanks to a usage rate of 85.9 percent, the growing appeal of social networking and blogging has seen such community-based pastimes surpassing e-mail communication, which places fifth on Nielsen’s results with 65.1 percent usage.
Interestingly, while member-based communities are generally regarded as being populated by a younger portion of the online demographic, the Nielsen survey discovered that the fastest growing age group using such services is actually placed between 35 and 49 years of age – while more than a quarter of Facebook’s UK users are actually over 50 years old.
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