WORLD WIDE SOCIAL MEDIA Page !

World Wide Social Media Usage

Pittsburg State University

Intercultural Communications

Kristen Livingston
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Social media is something that is used worldwide since the boom of smartphones several

years ago. Even though globally we all virtually use the same platforms, there are lots of

differences between the countries. Usage, timeframes, platforms and reasons for usage are all

factors that can be discussed when it comes to variations between countries. Social media is a

passion of mine, and I one day hope to further my career into the social media world. Studying

the differences in other countries compared to my own home country will only serve to better my

marketing/PR abilities in the field as I will be able to understand other’s usage habits. Each

country is culturally different is various ways, and their social media usage is no different.

As Americans, the European country we share the most similarities with is the United

Kingdom being that we both speak English. Even though we have many similarities, there are

lots more differences. Due to culture, times, preferences and more our social media usage can be

vastly different. This is precisely the reason why I find this topic so interesting, because you

would think social media is globally used the same way when in fact that could not be further

from the truth. Each country is culturally different which brings forth differences in preferences

when it comes to greetings, values, food, and social media. Researching social media differences

and similarities all over the world is insanely interesting to me. Social media is culturally

important, and has given the world outlets to communication, shopping, marketing, advertising

and more that the world has never seen before. Because of social media, we are evolving faster

than before, and this new phenomenon that is social media is becoming extraordinarily prevalent.

You can find all over that from small businesses to large corporations everyone is adopting social

media. This has now become a need rather than a want, and we as a society need to learn the

insides and outs in order to properly benefit from this great tool. Through this research paper, I
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will go in depth on the usage patterns, specific platforms, reasoning and more of countries all

over the world.

Social media once was used as a means of simple communication, but now has evolved

into so much more. Social media is the first place many look for information, entertainment,

connections and more. Author Clodagh O’Brien goes in depth about which countries utilize this

tool the most, and which platforms specifically they are using. Surprisingly, the Philippines holds

the record for most social media usage in the world, and has held that title for several years. On

average, users in the Philippines spend close to four hours on social media each day (O’Brien). A

further breakdown of platforms include 67 million users on Facebook, 10 million on Instagram

and over 10% of social media users on YouTube. Asia as a whole has taken over the social media

usage leader boards, which is shocking due to the amount of time spent online for North

Americans. For example, O’Brien stated that Indonesia spends three and a half hours on social

media daily, Thailand spends three hours and ten minutes daily, Malaysia spends three hours and

the United Arab Emirates spends a little under three hours daily. Middle Eastern countries have

also seen a surge in social media by 32% in the last year.

North America is overall placed lower on social media usage scale. The United States

ranking at 24th in the world and Canadians spending less than two hours on social media daily.

The wide variety of platforms that North Americans use as compared to our Asian counterparts is

where we truly differ. O’Brien mentioned that, “Facebook and YouTube usage, with 73% of

adults spending time posting statuses on Facebook, and 68% streaming videos on YouTube. For

many young adults ranging from ages 18 to 24, 78% use Snapchat, with 71% of those users

visiting the app multiple times each day.” Also, 71% of users within that similar age group check
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Instagram daily as well. Pinterest, Snapchat and LinkedIn all bring in under 30% of usage,

however still big factors in the playing field (O’Brien). In Canada, Facebook ranks as the number

one social media platform followed by Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and finally Snapchat.

In the Middle East, social media is extraordinarily prevalent. Such as, in Jordan 75% of

adults use social media and is only 3% lower in Lebanon (O’Brien). Interestingly, Germany and

Japan are ranking lower on the social media usage scale. Germany is hitting at 40% usage by

adults while Japan is only at 39% usage by adults (O’Brien). Furthermore, the top social media

platforms in England differ greatly from other large countries. For example, “a recent study by

Flint found that Facebook, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram rank among the top

six most used social media outlets,” (O’Brien). One unique fact regarding social media usage

throughout Europe is that women are more likely to use social media than men. “Throughout

Sweden, 72% of women use social media compared to 63% of men,” (O’Brien).

Author Alex Roach has previously discussed the similarities between Europe and the

United States which are the usage of top social media platforms. Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin

are leading the popularity vote in both countries, with Instagram, Pinterest and Tumblr close

behind (Roach, 2016). Moving forward to actual social media usage, Roach stated that “while

87% of United Kingdom phone users had social media accounts, 92% of Americans used social

media,” (2016). Even though that static only differs by five percent, there are still some major

differences between the two nations. When it comes to business usage of social media, in the UK

only 40% of small to medium businesses take advantage of social media while in the U.S. 81%

of businesses do, (Roach, 2016). Going further into specific differences, the author described

using a randomized sampling of 400 Twitter posts to create his findings about social media
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differences, specifically within Twitter which can then be carried to other platforms. Roach

found four main differences in social media usage in the categories of motivation, behavior,

emotion and brand mentions. Roach stated that, “in the UK, users flock to Twitter to seek

connection and conversation,” (2016). On the other hand, American users were more prone to

retweet and favorite other’s tweets. U.S. users primary motivations are “validation and del-

expression,” (Roach, 2016). Furthermore, UK users are more active in the late morning or early

afternoon while American users are most active after six in the evening. This is significant for

business professionals and marketings as they need to understand the cultural differences, and

strategize accordingly. Another difference is in the way social media users from the UK and the

U.S. express themselves online. For instance, in the U.K. users are less inclined to use extreme

emotions and tend to stay pretty “neutral” as compared to American users who use Twitter as a

form of self-expression, (Roach, 2016). Finally, in the U.K. Twitter users mention brands to

share a “specific experience” they had whether that be good or bad. Comparing this to the U.S.

Twitter users mention brands almost solely for “negative experiences,” (Roach, 2016).

Furthermore, an interesting rise in social media within developing countries has recently

taken place. Authors Jacob Poushter, Caldwell Bishop and Hanyu Chwe described this new trend

in their article as, “the Middle East stands out for its relatively high levels of social media usage

compared with other regions, despite the fact that only one country there, Israel, is an advanced

economy. Across the five Middle Eastern and North African countries surveyed, a median of

68% say they use social networking sites,” (Bishop, Chwe and Poushter, 2018). This is

remarkable considering that, like the statistic shows above, only one country in the Middle East

is essentially developed however a large majority take part in social media. This shows us that
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social media, smart phones and technology are fast on the rise not just in the “major” countries of

today’s world.

When comparing countries regarding their social media use, there is a unique difference.

Relatively poor economies and countries tend to have a high percentage of social media users as

compared to developed countries. For example, “in the Philippines, for example, while overall

levels of social media use stand at about half of the population, among internet users, that figure

is closer to nine-in-ten (88%). And in Jordan, an astounding 94% of internet users are also on

social networking sites,” (Bishop, Chwe and Poushter, 2018). The Philippines and Jordan are not

excessively developed countries, but Germany is considered to be much higher on the

economically developed side which is surprising that “only 46% of internet users in Germany

use social media, the lowest such measure among the countries surveyed,” (Bishop, Chwe and

Poushter, 2018). A not so surprising fact that is virtually the same across every country is that

there is a distinct generational divide when it comes to age and social media usage. An example

of this distinct generational divide can be seen in the Philippines where eight out of ten internet

users are on social media who are 36 years of age or younger. Comparing this to the mere two

out of ten internet users that are on social media who are 37 and older. There is a 58% difference

in social media usage between generations in the Philippines, however this can be seen and

almost duplicated in almost every country (Bishop, Chwe and Poushter, 2018).

Another unique comparison to be made regarding social media usage is gender. “In some

emerging and developing countries, men are much more likely to use social media – in Tunisia,

for example, 49% of men use social networking sites, compared with just 28% of

women,” (Bishop, Chwe and Poushter, 2018). The usual thought would be that women are much
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more prevalent on social media, as we like to post pictures, updates, stories and more about our

personal lives’. In countries such as the United States, Spain, Sweden and Israel women are way

more likely to use social media, (Bishop, Chwe and Poushter, 2018). This even accounts for

internet usage in those same counties. Women just tend to be on their phones more and engulfed

with the enchantment of social media.

Social media is so important to today’s society not just as a communication tool but as a

marketing and advertising tool as well. This is why understanding social media across multiple

countries can only serve to benefit you and your future business endeavors whatever they may

be. In an article by Growth Gurus, they stated, “social networks are one of the fastest growing

industries in the world,” (Growth Gurus, 2016). As far as marketing and advertising, reaching

your audience has never been easier. Everything is a click away on smart phones. Each social

media plays an important role in today’s culture all over the world. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter,

Snapchat and more are all used for specific reasons which continuously vary over time and

throughout different countries. By learning the nuances of each culture’s tendencies when it

comes to social media, we can better market and advertise to our audiences. We can also learn

how to better communicate and relate to people of different cultures. This is why I believe social

media is so monumentally important for intercultural communications studies.

Social media is an intercultural communications topic for so many reasons. One of which

being that virtually almost every country has access to the internet, meaning most people have

access to social media. Studying social media trends helps business market, do research and

campaign. Social media also keeps the world connected in a way that has never been done

before. Globally people are starting to take on trends of other cultures, making communication
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easier than ever. I am a communications major seeking a career in the social media field. When I

studied abroad in France I studied social media as well for two of my required courses. Social

media all of the world is the same, however vastly different at the same time. Just like Alex

Roach stated there are four main categories of differences, motivation, behavior, emotion and

brand mentions. To be successful as a future communications specialist I need to first understand

that social media is not the same globally, and furthermore study the specific country I am trying

to market to. For instance if in the future I am trying to market a product or service to England I

should keep in mind that while I would normally post after six in the evening here in the United

States, I should probably post around noon England time, because that is when most social media

users look at their accounts. Social media is an intercultural communications topic for precisely

this reason. Differences between how we communicate can be identified even through the use of

social media platforms. Social media statistics can also be very surprising such as Asia being the

world leader in usage. This tool is something that can be compared and contrasted in virtually

almost every country. Even though there are many similarities between each country such as

specific platforms, there are also differences like usage time. Overall, it can be deduced that this

is a worldwide tool, and after proper market research, can be very useful to an intercultural

communicator.
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References

O'Brien, Clodagh. “Social Media: What Countries Use It Most & What Are They Using?”

Digital Marketing Institute . Digital Marketing Institute. Accessed November 5, 2019.

https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/en-us/blog/social-media-what-countries-use-it-most-

and-what-are-they-using.

Poushter, J., Bishop, C., & Chwe, H. (2019, June 19). Social network adoption varies widely by

country. Retrieved December 4, 2020, from https://www.pewresearch.org/global/

2018/06/19/3-social-network-adoption-varies-widely-by-country/.

Roach, A. (2016, May 12). Differences in Social Media Use Between the UK and USA.

Retrieved October 1, 2019, from https://miappi.com/social-media-use-uk-versus-usa/.

WHY YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA. (2016,

March 27). Retrieved December 5, 2019, from https://www.growthgurus.com/blog/

business-brand-need-understand-importance-social-media/.