Social networking still personal
Most users of social networking websites are motivated by personal needs and a desire for entertainment, rather than business and practical objectives, according to a recent survey by technology analysts, Gartner.
According to the survey, male users tended to access mobile and online social networking services more frequently than females and the most active users in terms of life stage and age were single people and teenagers.
The survey, in 18 countries late last year, found that, of over 4 000 PC and mobile phone users, 38% connected to social networking sites via PC, less than 1% by mobile phone only, and 8% via both mobile phone and PC.
Gartner says that, despite the hype surrounding social networking, Internet users generally did not place a high
level of importance on social network sites, compared with other mainstream Internet applications such as email and search.
"Social networking is arguably as old as humanity, not something new that has been invented for so-called ‘digital natives’, said Julia Lin, project manager of research data and analytics at Gartner.
"However, social networking has found new forms of expression on the Internet which has helped to reshape the purpose and protocols of social networking in the online world and beyond. How to apply this in a corporate environment will be the next major challenge."
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