Germans stand out for their comparatively light use of social media
Internet use is nearly ubiquitous in Germany, but social media use is not. In fact, Germans stand out internationally for their relatively light use of social media.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Internet use is nearly ubiquitous in Germany, but social media use is not. In fact, Germans stand out internationally for their relatively light use of social media.
Although most national officials use the platform, their posts receive only a small number of likes and retweets.
Whether in advanced or emerging economies, younger people, those with higher levels of education and those with higher incomes are more likely to be digitally connected.
Most in the region feel positively about the role the internet plays in their countries, but long-standing digital divides between internet haves and have-nots persist.
As people in advanced economies reach the upper bounds of internet penetration, the digital divide continues to narrow between wealthy and developing countries.
A global median of 75% want their news media to be unbiased when covering political issues, yet many say the news media do a poor job of reporting on political issues fairly.
India and China have long had a competitive relationship and have emerged as major economic powers. But in the digital space, China has a clear advantage.
Social networking has spread around the world with remarkable speed, and large numbers in many nations are posting their views about pop culture online, while community issues, sports and politics are also popular topics. Meanwhile, as cell phones have become nearly ubiquitous, people are using them in a variety of ways, including texting and taking pictures, and many smart phone users also access job, consumer and political information.
Cell phones are owned by large majorities of people in major countries around the world, and they are used for much more than just phone calls. In particular, texting is widespread in both wealthy nations and the developing world. Social networking is also popular in many nations around the globe.
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. Other forms of technology are also increasingly popular: cell phone ownership and computer usage have grown significantly across the globe over the last three years, and they have risen dramatically since 2002. Consistently, these technologies are especially popular among young people.
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