An international study by information services company Experian into the use of social networks has revealed that Britons, with an average time spend of 25 minutes 33 seconds, spent more time on Facebook per session than their counterparts in the US (20 mins 46 sec) and France (21 mins 53 sec) in August.
Singaporeans emerge from the study as those who spend the longest on the social network site, with an average of 38 minutes and 46 seconds per session, while people living in Brazil spend just under half that with an average of 18 minutes and 19 seconds per Facebook session, said Experian.
According to the analysis by Experian Hitwise, the average session time on Facebook in August 2011 across the eight countries varied significantly.
Experian company Techlightenment CEO and co-founder Ankur Shah said the power of social networks like Facebook is that in some respects they don’t have any boundaries and make the world a much smaller place.
"Knowing the market share social networks have in each country and the level of usage is key to social networking success. However, our research shows that the way individuals use social media can and does change according to cultural and personal backgrounds – therefore ‘one size definitely doesn’t fit all’ when it comes to digital. For any international brands to be successful in their digital campaigns, they must understand the local, digital and personal nuances that exist," added Shah.
Experian also said that social networking is now one of the biggest online pastimes across the globe. In each country there are thousands of social networks, varying from 3,245 in Brazil to 9,000 in the UK.
The comapny added that despite being one of the most mature social markets, the UK has the lowest market share of visits going to social networks and forums (12.2%).
Brazil has the highest percentage of Internet visits going to social sites (18.9% of Internet usage) with 43% of all social networking visits in Brazil going to Orkut, the most visited social network in Brazil.
Experian Global Marketing Services EVP Jim Hodgkins said, "Understanding how long people spend on Facebook in different countries is vital for any brand on the social network. With Facebook still finding its feet in the emerging markets of India and Brazil, lower session times are to be expected – users won’t have as many friends or groups that they have signed up to. However that doesn’t mean brands should ignore Facebook in those countries – with market share for Facebook in India increasing by 88% year on year and 16% in Brazil year on year, its influence and dominance is only set to grow."
