Facebook just reached 50 000 South African users. Although this figure could be higher as 50 000 is just the amount of people in the South African network. In case some of you are wondering why these statistics are so significant, it’s because 50 000 is roughly 1% of South Africa’s internet user base.
This might seem like a small percentage but there is a bigger picture. These 50 000 users are the build up of a critical mass, one Facebook has a critical mass of South Africans the 1% will suddenly become 5% and then before you know it 25%. By the time it reaches 25% of the South African user base we could easily be looking at a few million users. Now isn’t that attractive to marketers?
Any way, let me break down the statistics:
- Gender
In my opinion the split between male and female users is really impressive, in the past it used to be majority male users everywhere. In this case we have 45% male, 40% female and 15% who have not shared their gender information. - Books, Movies, Music & TV
It seems there are a lot of Harry Potter & Lord Of The Rings readers. The top movies are Snatch, Fight Club and 300. Music interest is predominately rock and the top TV shows are Prison Break, CSI and Lost. - Relationship Status
While the majority of users are single (39%) it is good to see a healthy figure of 28% who are taken, 6% who are married, 2% who are engaged, 2% who say it’s complicated and 22% who have not shared their status.
I’ve said it before, the market for Social Media is growing in South Africa. We are a few years behind which is perfect because it allows us to learn from the mistakes of those who came before we did. This will allow us to perfect our own services. Social Media doesn’t need to step on the toes of any other industry, it is here to compliment them. How we go about it is the key.
Tags: Social Media
Nice one. Facebook will soar into the record books in no time. Somewhere along the line they will release widgets and some type of music integration… maybe both. But i love Facebook because of it’s understanding of keeping shit clean. Ordered. And there is very little in competing with your mates. The friends you have hardly ever matters… and you don’t have something like “profile views”. No Custom Profile or Wack ass background. Some like it… i don’t.
I wish i could be part of their team. You should have a read through the limited realease book Facebook sent out. Give me a holler if you want a copy.
Our company is making use of the social networking platforms. Since November 2006, we’ve found great returns on having a “Corporate MySpace” profile, and we’ve got some developers working on some tools for Facebook. The Facebook flyers option is being experimented with. All-in-all, I agree with you. We are 20 years behind 1st-world countries like USA & UK, and platforms like these allows us to bridge the gap & integrate new technology regardless of our historical dispositions and disadvantages.
Ulrico Grech-Cumbo
Acappella Productions
Foxinni, I’d like to see that if you dont mind forwarding me a copy – rixx76@gmail.com. Thanks