The internet has quite literally expanded drastically in the last decade. It seems to expand by amounts that most of us cannot keep up with. However, it seems that most internet users trust social media now more than ever.
A number of research studies have been conducted that delve into the uses of various social networking websites and the degree of trust that most of us exhibit with them.
The results were actually quite interesting as they showed that an increasing number of people are starting to trust social networking sites.
Amazingly, 60% of all internet surfers in the United States of America use social networking websites. Even more surprising is the fact that countries such as Russia and Indonesia have a higher percentage.
Social network utilization in these countries has reached quite a high percentage. 86% of all internet users in Russia and Indonesia use a social networking website.
It does not matter that social media became initially successful in the United States of America as various emerging markets (international) are utilizing it more than them.
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The Second Side of the Story
Everything is not as simple as these numbers suggest. Although it may show how many people are using social networks, these percentages do not show the level of trust that people have.
Take the case of the United States of America. Although they were pioneers in the use of social networks, they have reduced trust ratings.
The trust rating of social networks in the United States is an unfortunate -12.4. In the United Kingdom, this rating is even lower as it drops to -20.3.
Now if you consider countries like Brazil and India, you will notice that their level of trust is drastically increasing. These emerging markets have people who trust social networking websites more than Americans do.
These people believe that social networking websites are ideal places to buy items and find high quality yet affordable services.
Brazil has a trust rating of +17.3 whereas India has an even higher trust rating at +28.1. This illustrates the fact that consumers of emerging markets may be more likely to make use of social networks and social media sites.
Reliable Links
One major reason why emerging markets trust social networks more is that they can get reliable links. There will always be someone who has the same problem as you.
Perhaps you wish to opt for Comcast internet plans and want to get good reviews about it. Rather than go hunting for trustworthy reviews, you may visit a telecommunications-related page on Facebook and find the answer and reliable links to the answer.
Real People
Rather than one person who has reviewed Comcast internet plans, you can find 100 people may have Comcast. If you cannot find good reviews on other sites, you are bound to find it on social networking websites.
This is because real people with real experiences exist on social networking sites. Ten people can be biased but 90 cannot.
The Purpose of the Statistics
These statistics can be interpreted in a variety of ways. Many can use them to think how successful social networks have become or how many people are logging onto them.
Although these facts can be used to prove otherwise, these figures show that businesses should not heavily rely on social networking.
Just because a lot of attention is being brought to these websites does not mean that they are highly effective. Many people “subscribe” to a website because some friend told them to.
They may subscribe to it and never really visit it again. However, if something interesting does show up, they will visit it again.
Even more important is the fact that you cannot use these social media websites to make purchases. At best, visitors may contact your business or may redirect themselves to your website to make it.
The Simple Facts
The simple fact is that businesses should not heavily rely on social networking websites. Although people in emerging markets trust them more, that does not mean that they are buying items from business pages. It just means they are using the website more.
Regardless, it does seem that internet users in emerging markets trust social networking websites a lot.
Shannen Doherty is a technical content writer.She is associated with many technology and designing communities as their freelance writer and adviser. In her free time she writes articles related to: internet, technology etc.