Global Social Network Stats Confirm Facebook As Largest In U.S. & Europe (With 3 Times The Usage Of 2nd Place)

A recent study by InSites Consulting revealed the flourishing global social media scene, how different countries and continents use social networks and the stranglehold that Facebook has in the market.  InSites surveyed more than 9,000 respondents about social media usage, tendencies and thoughts.

American Social Network Usage

The study revealed that 76% of Americans use social network sites, a higher adoption rate than that of European countries’ 73%. To no surprise, Facebook topped the list of social networking sites with 70% usage in the United States. Some other staggering Facebook stats show that 58% of users also log in daily, and the average Facebook session is 37 minutes. The second most popular U.S. social site is LinkedIn (22% penetration) and Twitter is third (20% penetration). An interesting statistic about Twitter is that while 77% of Americans know about the site, only 20% use it.

European Social Network Usage

While 73% of Europeans engage with at least one social network, 50% choose to only participate on one network. The market split is a bit different in Europe as 62% of Europeans use Facebook, 16% are on Twitter and 12% are active on Vkontakte. Social media is a daily routine to many as 60% of Europeans log into their social accounts every day. Western Europe is lagging behind the rest of Europe with 66% of respondents active on a social network.

Social Media & Brands

The study found that the majority of American and European social media users actually like brands and choose to follow them: 57% of Americans follow at least one brand while 51% of Europeans follow a brand. Globally the numbers are lower. When factoring in all countries, the total number of respondents following a brand worldwide drops to 50%. The users who follow a brand don’t just listen, 42% have had a conversation with a brand on a social network.

Resistance To New Networks

One surprising fact in the report was the fact that 60% of respondents don’t want to partake in new social networks. Of the polled respondents, 93% are happy with the current networks they are active in. A penetration chart highlighting user intent also backs these facts up. The chart displays user intent about joining networks; the smaller the network, the less willing the respondents were to join. InSites Consulting concluded that “Big social networks will get bigger and small ones will get smaller.”

Employees & Social Media

Survey results showed that employed social media users typically have a positive feeling about their company. Of those polled (that were employed), 61% of are proud of the company they work for. Not only are users proud, but 19% talk about their company on social media. Again Americans led the way with 63% of respondents sporting positive feelings toward employers while Europeans are just behind with 61%.

In contrast, while many respondents have positive feelings toward their employer, only 4 out of 10 like their employers’ attitude toward social media. One main reason for this low number may be the fact that 33% of respondents could not access social media at work.

The full report can be seen here: