Although still a relatively young technology, social networking
is already a global phenomenon. In regions around the world --
and in countries with varying levels of economic development --
people who use the internet are using it for social networking.
And this is particularly true of young people. Meanwhile, other
forms of technology are also increasingly popular across the
globe. Cell phone ownership and computer usage have grown
significantly over the last three years, and they have risen
dramatically since 2002. While social networking has spread
globally, it is particularly widespread in the country where it
began. Among the 22 publics surveyed, Americans most often say
they use websites like Facebook and MySpace: 46% use such sites,
36% use the internet, but do not access these sites, and 18% say
they never go online. Read the full report, Global Publics
Embrace Social Networking, on the Pew Research Center Web site.