Facebook remains the number-one social-networking site in the world, according to a new study released Tuesday by comScore — and it has undergone 153 percent growth in the past year.
The Reston, Va.-based research firm said most of the growth for social-networking sites is outside North America. On this continent, the social-networking audience grew nine percent, but the growth was much higher elsewhere — 66 percent in the Middle East-Africa region, 35 percent in Europe, and 33 percent in Latin America. Social-networking sites for the world at large grew about 25 percent.
303 Percent Growth in Europe
Jack Flanagan, comScore executive vice president, said the social-networking trend is reaching maturity in the region where it began, North America. “However, the phenomenon is still growing rapidly in other regions around the world,” he added, “especially as the established American brands turn their focus to developing markets.”
Facebook is a key driver of that global growth. In North America, it grew about 38 percent, but in every other region comScore found its audience has more than quadrupled. In Europe, for instance, its growth was a whopping 303 percent.
Facebook took the global lead in April, and comScore said its growth has been driven by its “concerted effort” to become culturally relevant outside the U.S., through such techniques as its introduction of natural-language interfaces in several markets.
Flanagan noted that Facebook has taken the lead, or at least is competing strongly, in several markets where, a year ago, its presence was minor. In fact, nearly 63 percent of Facebook’s total users are now outside the U.S. and Canada.
MySpace Grows More Slowly
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