This week, our Global Youth Survey gives us a look at how young adults are communicating online, around the world. And unless you’ve been living in a bubble, you know they are on social networks. The question is, which one?
Facebook is a clear winner, along with Hyves, MSN, Friendster and Cyworld. Here’s the regional breakdown:
One trend that remains constant in all surveyed areas is that respondents choose the social networks they use based upon what is popular among their friends and peers. “I originally chose Facebook because a lot of my friends were already members. I like it because it is very easy and enjoyable to use. It’s like a free version of FriendsUnited,” says one 23-year-old respondent from the UK. While it seems MySpace is falling out of favor, a couple other British 20-somethings preferred it for its customization options. “I like using MySpace because it allows you to be more creative with your profile and it’s more sociable, said one.
Online communities and social networks are a forum for creating and sharing content, and it seems that the older a person is, the more likely he or she is contribute.
- 32% of respondents in the 14-19 age group say they create content compared to 55% of 20-29 year olds.
One reason cited often was that parents are restricting what their kids are doing and who they are talking to online, even teens as old as 17.
Young people use the web to shape an identity–or several.
- 44% of respondents say that their online identity is different than it is in real life
So while most prefer to keep it real online, a good number are using the web to try out various personalities and concepts of self on the road to adulthood.
In this quest, how important is privacy? Do young people care what parents, teachers and future employers can potentially find out about them online?
- When respondents were asked if they want to limit who sees their profile or blog, 64% agreed
“I try to keep certain things private, but whatever is online is visible to everyone,” says Meghan, a 28- year-old US respondent. The younger people we surveyed were decidedly less private, opting to put everything in the public eye.
- 55% of all 14-17 year olds surveyed think that their blog and/or profile should be visible to everyone on the internet, compared to just 30% of 25-29 year olds
While social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace are getting all the attention, smaller social networking communities and sites get a healthy dose of traffic.
- 45% of survey respondents say that they seek out niche communities online
Most of these communities were focused on celebrities, gaming, church and school groups. Communicating with like minds online, whether they are friends or strangers, is one of the main drivers of social networking. As one respondent from Malaysia pointed out, “My communities should have similar interests, if not, it will be duck and chicken talk.” So true.
Check out our past Global Youth Survey results here and keep checking the site for more!
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