5. GLOBAL SOCIAL NETWORKING

In this chapter we look at five very different country contexts -South Africa, UK, Brazil, India and Thailand⁴⁸ and at some of the cross-cutting trends.

National and regional context

Brazil

The growth and widespread use of Social Networking in Brazil illustrates both how national and local cultures define the nature of technology appropriation and the commonalities between countries among populations engaged actively in SNS.

Brazil is part of the BRIC group, typically countries with large populations in poverty but whose wealth and global exports have increased over the last 10-20 years. Until not that many years ago, information technology in Brazil was regarded as a restricted asset, accessible and even important only to the dominant classes - instruments for management, profit and control. Until 1990, there were only state-owned companies offering landlines. Importing equipment was extremely complex and expensive, due to bureaucracy and over-taxation. Two aspects were crucial in the development of current high usage rates. First, the understanding, gradually spreading through the non-profit sector and governments, that information technologies can be used to extend the reach of democratic awareness and action, which influenced the development of ICT-aware public policies: the creation of free Internet access spaces (telecentres), subsidizing affordable computers by tax exemption and other initiatives. The other important aspect was finding purpose for information technologies in popular contexts. Used to a scenario that for decades favoured a quasi-monopoly in electronic media, in a country in which literacy (and economic) levels were historically low, the promises of Internet in the 90s – contents and commerce - were simply not appealing to a great part of the population. There are plenty of academic analyses that define Brazilian cultures as intrinsically conversational, and indeed the Internet only entered popular imaginary once social networks started to be developed. In a sense, for most Brazilian Internet users content is way less important than relationships.

Since 2003 Orkut has gone from a highly elitist 'club style' project to being almost universally used by people all levels in society to chat to their friends and family across the country. Being connected and in touch was found to be more important than content. The natural tendency of Brazilian’s to absorb and mix/remix processes if available – particularly by means of dialogue and networked communication, online or offline - meant that this system was readily absorbed and taken probably in directions that Google were initially unable to conceive.

India

Also one of the BRIC countries, less than 5% of India’s population has access to the Internet, but India has one of the fastest-growing Internet populations in the world and online social networking has caught up very fast with Indian Internet users. 60% of Indian Internet users – comprising young users largely in the age group of 15 to 25, who are studying or have just started their career – are on some or the other social media platforms. This aggressive enrolment into social networking platforms is seen more from users in tier II and tier III cities in India - a growth that has been fuelled by the increasing Internet penetration in the country.

South Africa

South Africa illustrates the power of the social driver in determining how populations appropriate technology. Often spoken of as a country that is both “first world and third world”, it combines considerable wealth with a great deal of poverty. However since the end of the Apartheid era a black middle class has come into existence. As one of the most important countries through which many international investors address Africa, it has a significant scale of service economy, including outsourcing through call-centres. The ‘first world’ element in South Africa socially networks in the same way as its counterparts in the rest of the world. Facebook dominates and South Africa is the eighth largest user of Facebook globally.

However our research focused on the other South Africa, the vast majority whose primary – and usually only – digital device is the mobile phone and the evidence that young people in particular are using actively their mobile phones for social networking, primarily on MxIT. Set up in 2003, it processes 250m messages daily, sent primarily via mobile phone by young people. According to BMI-TechKnowledge Group's Digital Lifestyles Predictions South Africans aged between 16 and 24 years old preferred using Mxit to using Facebook (61% Mxit, vs. 27% Facebook 16 to 24 year olds) In 2007 Facebook users who identify with a South African network numbered 87 000, while Mxit boasted 5.2 million South African users in the same year.

Thailand

As a more developed, mid-scale Asian economy, Thailand illustrates an area where social networking has expanded enormously in the last two or three years, but where civil society and Government have yet to engage with the phenomenon.

There has been a drastic jump of hi-speed Internet users in Thailand since 2007. The main reasons are the encouragement by government policies and the competition among Internet service providers. Without waiting for too long, social network sites (SNS) became fast popular following the speedy distribution of hi-speed Internet and has created a contemporary social phenomenon.

In TOT Annual Report 2007, the penetration of fixed-line is 10.6% of the total population, but the subscribers of mobile phones has reached 89.5% in the country mid of 2008⁴⁹. The subscribers of hi-speed Internet increased to 15.1% of Internet users from 8.9% in 2006. Mobile Internet is not as distributed because of the stalemate of licensing process. The active exchange of messages, pictures, video and music among youngsters relies on websites, as well as on mobile phones - Bluetooth technology enables the mesh network of exchange.

The Internet has changed viewers' viewing behaviours. Not just the people between 12 to 35 years old get more information online, traditional media also digitalized their programs and put them online. The convergence effect speeds up when viewers, especially the young ones, spent more time online, and information providers have to extend their reach to Internet users. According to NECTEC's survey, 36.8% of the Internet users are online more than 20 hours a week, which should equal 3 hours a day. The percentage of the usage of the Internet is the same among the interviewed teens.

The top online activities, reportedly, are information search, email and reading news and timely report. In 2008 alone, there was also significant increase of online activities about blog and diary and music, whilst the teens' activities are keeping friends' circles on SNS and playing games.

SNS is a “special phenomenon” in Thailand, some call it “social phenomenon.” Using SNS, together with other online activities, is a significant new routine among school-age youngsters. The most popular SNS in Thailand in 2008 are: Hi5 (47.5%), Wikipedia (14.4%), Youtube (12.6%) and MySpace-MSN (0.3%). Among the teens in the focus group discussion, 90% of them use Hi5. Within the short past two years, Thai youngsters literally have rushed to be part of Hi5 network. Other mentioned network sites are of particular interest, for example, Imeem for music and fashion information, Storythai for diary and Camfrog for sharing of self-made video clips.

The reasons for the popularity of Hi5 in Thailand, at the beginning stage, was its first introduction of Thai interface and the commercial purposes, for one, the personalized profile of nationally famous and controversial stars. Many of stars' news, activities and personal messages are accessible by Hi5 friends. Then, people and their friends “clustered” on Hi5 rapidly.

United Kingdom

The UK is one of the world’s top ten economies with close ties to USA, including a (more or less) common language and a shared culture of television, cinema and Internet. With a population of 61 million, the UK has 39.5 million PC based Internet users (with 16.6 million broadband connections). Whilst the PC remains the primary Internet access device, there is rapid growth in mobile Internet access, driven in part by SNS access on mobiles. Mobile Internet user numbers now stand at 7.3 million (a 12.9% penetration rate).

78.4% of British web users 15 and older visited a Social Network Site in September 08 and 54% of 16 – 25 year olds report having profiles on Social Network Sites. The highest SNS penetration rate is currently amongst 16 – 17 year olds, with at least 67% owning a profile (Figures from the Guardian newspaper put the rate for 11 – 20 year olds as high as 93% penetration)

UK Internet users on average make 23 visits, and spend an average of 5.3 hours a month   on SNS. For a younger audience some studies have anecdotally cited teenagers spending upwards of two hours every night connected to SNS . The main Social Network Site platforms (the big-three) in the UK are Facebook, Bebo and MySpace. The majority of access is via desktop or laptop computer, although mobile access and access form other devices is increasing. Facebook.com is currently the top mobile web destination in the UK.

There are a growing number of SNS-like platforms targeted at children, with 27% of 8 – 11 years olds reporting they have profiles on SNS. These may be profiles on a dedicated Children's SNS environment, or may be profiles on one of the major sites in breach of their terms of service, which usually set an age limit for joining of 13 or above.

Language

All of the countries in our analysis have significant connections with the global economy but only in the UK is English the majority language. Whilst it is understood by most people in South Africa, only a minority would choose it as the language they would speak at home. Portuguese is almost universally spoken in Brazil as the common language but in India there is a considerable diversity of languages. Although both latter countries have English-speakers, these are very much a minority.

One in every five people globally can speak English to some level of competence. This provides a considerable pool of potential users, many of whom view English as an aspirational language: it is a key language for global higher education, multinational employment and often the key to migration. That said, a majority of existing users of the Internet in developing countries would prefer it to be in their own language. For example, in India, the majority of people use English on the Internet but only 28% prefer it and the rest would like to have it in their own vernacular language.

Access and Connectivity

There have been significant changes since 2000, when the Internet was still very much the domain of the minority; wealthier people in poorer countries, and the tech-savvy in the developed world. Nine years on online activity has transcended our everyday lives: we communicate, learn, shop, search, study, bank, and socialise online. In the following paragraphs we track recent trends since 2000, and provide a snapshot of current levels of Internet access and SNS activity.

There has been substantial ICT development on a global level; both in terms of broadband and phone technologies. India in particular has shown significant levels of increase since 2004⁵⁰. However, while growth has been particularly high in developing countries, these figures are still dwarfed when set against the countries’ overall populations.

The disparity between those with Internet access and those without can no longer be put down to cultural barriers or general lack of interest – as was the case in Brazil when the Internet was first catching on - but is rather the result of persistent disparities holding back economically disadvantaged populations. Although recently-opened markets have led to a huge increase in access to hardware in developing countries, poor technological infrastructure and high costs are slowing the growth of Internet access. For over a quarter of India’s subscribers, for example, their Internet is too slow to connect to broadband, and the majority of users are unable to benefit from many of the functions now available via Web 2.0. The Internet infrastructure in Brazil follows the general characteristic of economic centralisation: a few, bigger urban centres have a good variety of broadband providers, whilst in most small cities there usually is not more than one company, and rural areas depend on very expensive, slow and unreliable satellite connections.

At the time of writing, connectivity remains limited in many parts of the world, particularly in rural areas, and especially in Africa. The temporal nature of Internet based social networks is greatly dependent on strong connectivity for real-time interaction and regular engagement, so inevitably there are huge differences at the moment in the level of engagement in Internet-based Social Networks.

Cost is the second major constraint to access. Perversely, the higher a country’s level of Internet penetration, the lower the cost; roughly translatable to: the poorer the population the more they will have to pay to get online. At US$88 a month⁵¹, broadband rental in Brazil has one of the highest rates worldwide; equivalent to 9.6% of an individual’s income⁵². It is also how much it would cost to buy around 127 kilos of flour⁵³, and represents a very unrealistic option for the shopping basket of the average Brazilian. By comparison, people in the UK use only 0.8% of their income on broadband rental, roughly equivalent to a couple of drinks after work. By comparison paying for broadband rental in Thailand, which is both more expensive and far slower than in the UK, means parting with over 3 times what the average person spends on medical and health expenses⁵⁴.

However, in Thailand the spread of Wifi wireless Internet access, particular in Bangkok is changing the removing the economic barrier of personally owning an Internet connection. High broadband rental costs mean that Internet cafes are an increasingly popular option in rural regions⁵⁵, where income levels are substantially lower than in Bangkok⁵⁶. However, Wifi is available in the capital, and the decline in café-goers here reflects how people are now benefiting from the 16,000 hotspots around the city. As a result, they are able to stay connected while on the move; passing in and out of spots as they commute to work on the skytrain or walk to school⁵⁷.

Mobile Phones and the Internet

Evidence of a global desire to connect with people online, despite barriers, is demonstrated by the consistent growth in Internet activity⁵⁸. Users in developing countries are increasingly getting around the issue of broadband rental costs. For example, in South Africa only a third of PC owners are connected⁵⁹, while the number of people accessing the Internet by mobile phone is almost double that of PC-based users⁶⁰. This is not the case in Brazil however, where charges are still too high for the majority.

There has been phenomenal growth in mobile phone subscriptions in the past 5 years, and fixed-line telephones have become almost redundant in India. Mobile phone charges are significantly lower than the cost of a landline or broadband rental in developing countries such as Thailand and India and, unlike broadband fees, are relative to income levels⁶¹. While mobile based instant messaging tool Mxit dominates the South African market by providing a cheap online messaging service, India’s huge mobile-user base is yet to be capitalised on. While the Internet is not directly accessed via mobile phones in Brazil, young people do use them as an indirect tool, by uploading photos form their phones onto their Orkut profiles.

Mobile phone subscribers as a percentage of all phone subscribers 2000-2007, by country (blue top = fixed line phones; red bottom = mobile phones)

Demographics of Internet access

While females are very active in sending SMS, the Internet remains a largely male-dominated domain, both in PC and mobile access. South Africa has seen a 3.2% rise in the number of male Internet users in the period December 2007 to December 2008; with 16% more male than female users in 2008. This trend is particularly evident in developing countries such as India, as opposed to the greater gender balance witnessed in the UK; arguably due to greater inequalities in developing countries in terms of access to education, which has been identified as an indicator of increased Internet usage. Findings from a Nettec study in Thailand conflict with this however, showing a far greater number of females than males.
Internet users are spread right across the age spectrum, with differing trends between the countries. Half of India’s urban Internet users fall into the 18-35 category, similar to figures for South Africa, but a larger proportion than in the UK. Although there are a large amount of young users is South Africa, we can see they are getting slightly older, with the 50+ age group increasing their share the most. Users accessing the Internet via mobile phones are generally younger than those using PCs

Demographics of SNS access and use

The number of people visiting social networking sites is high, accounting for well over half of all Internet users.

Thailand, India and Brazil have all shown significant growth in SNS access over recent years. There was a slight drop (< 1%) in visits to SNS in the UK between 2007 and 2008⁶², suggesting a limit to SNS growth at around 80% of the Internet using population. Time spent on SNS by UK users has marginally declined over the last year – as growth has slowed, but there are no signs that users are abandoning SNS.

When we look specifically at social networking against general Internet use, it’s evident that the average age drops. In Thailand, 60% of users are aged between 18 and 29⁶³. Likewise, most SNS users in India and South Africa are under 30 years old. By contrast, while over a quarter of 8-11 year olds in the UK have a profile on a social network, and over half of all SNS users are under 25, the remainder fall outwith the ‘youth’ category, and the average user profile is getting older⁶⁴. Of all UK Facebook users, less than 40% are under 25. This is due partly to growth in the site LinkedIn, which has an older user-base, and an increase in older people increasingly joining Facebook⁶⁵. India, meanwhile, shows a younger overall age of SNS visitor⁶⁶. As with the Internet, SNS are male dominated, particularly in India and Thailand⁶⁷. South Africa however shows a different trend, with 6% more females than males⁶⁸. This is closer to the pattern in the UK and US.

Class and Income are another key determining factor in usage of the Internet and Social Networking. In the UK, low income and low levels of education have been associated with lower Internet use, especially amongst older people.⁶⁹ Income related disparities are replicated to some extent amongst younger populations, although they will have access to and use public and other shared-use facilities. However, in Brazil, which is a maturing ‘Southern’ SNS market, the pattern is different. A 2006 survey of Accessa SP users showed that in all income bands, over 50% of users use social networking sites. Family income does not have a direct effect on participation in social networks. It is perhaps possible to say that at either end of the scale (highest or lowest income levels), there is less participation, and the people in the middle income bands participate more, but that is not entirely true.

• Income bands with highest levels of participation are: 2-4 minimum wages (64.7%) and 8-10 minimum wages (64.5%). Next comes 1-2 minimum wages (63.6%) and 4-6 minimum wages (63.0%). The bands with lowest rates of usage are over 10 minimum wages (62.0%), 6-8 minimum wages (60.8%) and less than 1 minimum wage (59.2%)⁷⁰

In all 5 countries, websites falling into the SNS category represented at least 5 of their most popular websites. Facebook is the most popular site overall across the countries in our analysis and the UK has the 3rd largest number of users worldwide, with South Africa and India not far behind. Orkut is the most popular site in India, with more than 12.8 million users; constituting over 16% of all Orkut users . It is also the most popular social network site in Brazil, and viewed as the key that drew Brazilians to the Internet by expanding their opportunities for social communication. It is the second most accessed website in Brazil, and the majority of Brazilian Internet users have a profile in the website. There are lots of cases of people – especially younger or those with low income – who check Orkut every day, but only check email once a week, once a month or even less.

                               Number of Facebook Users February 2008

National language sites are particularly important in native English speaking countries. India’s SNS users are very active on local language sites, and international sites are consequently recognising the need for greater localisation to suit the Indian context⁷¹. Despite this, awareness of online local-language content is very low, as the initial language barrier prevents many non-English speakers from venturing online⁷². Whereas Hi5’s popularity in the UK was relatively short-lived, it is the most popular SNS in Thailand with 42% of the 18-24yrs age group using it⁷³, attributable to the fact that it can be accessed in Thai⁷⁴.

Five most popular international social network sites 2008

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