Mobile Social Networking

Mobile social network is a network with a social aspect where people can converse and connect via the mbole or cell phone devices. Social networking has exploded to become one of the most popular online activities. The rapid take-up of smartphones has helped extend this behaviour to mobile, with the latest ComScore MobiLens report showing mobile social networking booming (Mobile, 2010).

Social networking has been the fastest growing activity to have been accessed via a mobile app over the past year, up 390%. In April 2009, 37% of all people who visited a social network from their mobile device did so every day (Mobile, 2010). By April 2010 this number had risen to 44% (Mobile, 2010).

In April 2009 an eighth of all mobile users aged 13 and over accessed a social network or blog at least once during the month. By April this year this had leapt to a fifth. The largest group of mobile social networkers are 25-34-year-olds but the fastest growing is 45-54-year- olds (Mobile, 2010).

Smartphones are still driving this trend - 49% of smartphone users visited a social network in April 2010 versus 13% of non-smartphone users. Two-thirds of Apple or Google device users have accessed social networks in the past month, despite the latter's low market penetration (Mobile, 2010).

References: MOBILE: Mobile data social networking. (2010, June 10). New Media Age, 23. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.library.sheridanc.on.ca/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA228634659&v=2.1&u=ko_acd_shc&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w