Facebook’s popularity in India: A cultural perspective

According to the latest report by Experian reveals how much time people living in different countries spend on Facebook. Singapore users topped the chart, with US at the 5th position India at the 7thposition. Brazil users spent only less than half the average time spent by Singapore. The high average minutes spent on Facebook provides an opportunity for firms to gain greater sales and engagement through content and advertising. The key finding of this study also inferred that India experienced the fastest growth in Facebook use over the past year, with the social network accounting for an increase in market share of 88% year on year (YOY) in August 2011 whereas US experienced a market share increase from Facebook of 5% YOY.

Facebook has become the most popular social media platform in India. With 31 million active users (as of August 2011), India trails only the United States and Indonesia in global usage. This has surpassed the orkut (social networking site by Google) users, which was the most popular before 2010. Nevertheless, Facebook has conquered the social media networking in India, just as it has in almost all countries now.

Market	Average time spent on Facebook in August 2011 per session
Singapore	38 mins 46 sec
New Zealand	30 mins 31 sec
Australia	26 mins 27 sec
UK	25 mins 33 sec
US	20 mins 46 sec
France	21 mins 53 sec
India	20 mins 21 sec
Brazil	18 mins 19 sec

At present India is the 3^rd most country with 100 million internet users after China (485 million) and US (245 million). As per one of the recent surveys made by Google, the usage of internet in India would be increased triple by 2014. I think by that time India may surpass US in terms of number of internet users. Another interesting factor is that Indian users are not using facebook during work hours (Penn Olson, 2010). I feel this is one of the reasons, that in spite India being the 2^nd most densely populated country in the world, still has less usage of facebook than US.

Around 350 million of the active users currently are accessing Facebook through their mobile devices around the world. Approximately 3 of 5 smartphone users in US access social networking websites/facebook whereas in India the mobile phones are used the most to access facebook. The average cost of smartphones is also high in India than US. Same is the case with iPad’s. Therefore, I believe that increase in use of smartphones and iPad’s in India would also increase the facebook users and its usage. Also, there is a huge potential for content and advertising markets in India to capture user’s attention and to enhance the marketing through better engagement in social networks.

Also, with the above interesting facts I feel that there is a lot of difference as to how facebook is used in India. Many companies in India have blocked all the social media sites like facebook, orkut or twitter while at work in fear of losing productivity. Students in colleges are not allowed to use cell phones during class hours. Internet access is limited to only Wired networks most of the places. Wifi and 3G technology is introduced only recently, eventually reducing the facebook usage to a large extent. Privacy settings for photos, comments, etc are extensively used more by girls than the boys. Friend requests are generally accepted only if they are well known to the individual especially among girls. Farmville app is one of the most used facebook app among the youth. People tend to ignore ads unless and until it is really interesting.

Indian Video on Facebook Relationships Goes Viral

5 Days of Facebook is a story of two school friends – a boy and a girl - who meet on Facebook several years later. The boy find an old classmate on Facebook, sends her a friend request and the split-screen video illustrates his expectations from that add request versus the reality.

Several copies of the video exist on YouTube and one of them, with 100k+ views, has already made it to the “most viewed videos” chart on YouTube India for this month.

The music video is in Hindi but even if even you don’t know that language, you can still make sense of the video from the visuals. Like!

Poll reveals that 86 per cent of Facebook users HATE the new design

• Too cluttered, too confusing - 91 per cent of teenagers dislike the update
• 'It sucks and they need to change it back (or at least give us the option to use the old layout if we wish)!!!'
• Only IT workers prefer redesign

The changes to the site were unveiled by founder Mark Zuckerberg at the F8 conference in San Francisco - and drew an immediate negative reaction

Eighty six per cent of Facebook users hate the new changes to the website, a poll has found.

Assuming the same figure across Facebook's users, the equivalent of 688 million people said that the social networking site should go back to the way it was before.

Among teenagers the number was even higher and 91 per cent said that Facebook was worse since the update.

Last month Facebook introduced a series of changes including the controversial 'news ticker' which constantly tells you what your friends are doing in real-time - seen as an inept attempt to keep up with rivals such as Twitter.

But the reaction on the site - along with blogs and Twitter - was instant dislike and thousands complained that it was too cluttered and confusing.

The poll by Sodahead.com found that the overwhelming majority of Facebook’s users wanted things to go back to how they were.

Among young people 79 per cent said the website should lose the update. Some 89 per cent of women agreed, as did 78 per cent of men.

The most supportive groups were, ironically, IT workers among whom 55 per cent liked the new Facebook. 

 

The changes to the site were unveiled by founder Mark Zuckerberg at the F8 conference in San Francisco - and drew an immediate negative reaction. 

There are several Facebook groups dedicated to people who dislike the changes. Sodahead's online poll of 1,094 people offers an insight into just how unpopular the changes have been. 

Comments included U.S. user John Harris who said: ‘It sucks and they need to change it back (or at least give us the option to use the old layout if we wish)!!!”

Zuckerberg presenting the new design at the f8 conference. Last month Facebook introduced a series of changes including the controversial 'news ticker' which constantly tells you what your friends are doing in real-time - seen as an inept attempt to keep up with rivals such as Twitter

User Liz Blocher also said: ‘Basically, it sucks. 

‘They need to quit trying to ‘keep up with the Googles’ and just be the best version of Facebook. 

‘Facebook works (worked) because it was simple, uncluttered, and didn’t require any thought process. Now, not so much. Ugh.’

The most controversial of the features has been the ticker, which sits up the top right hand corner of the screen and constantly rolls out news.

Then there is the ‘Top stories’ feature in which Facebook chooses which it thinks are the most important stories in your life and puts them at the top of your news feed.

Users have complained Facebook often gets it wrong and that the newest ones should come first, not those which are weeks old.

Facebook has also been accused of stealing ideas from rival social networking site Google+ with its friend lists.

Just as Google+ has ‘Circles’ with different layers of privacy, Facebook now has different lists users can group their friends onto, and these have varying levels of disclosure.

Another feature which is still being rolled out is the Timeline, which aims to show you everything from your birth until today in one feed.

The reaction to this has been more positive and writing in the New York Times David Pogue said it was a ‘a genuinely useful online tool that nobody’s carried out in quite this way before’.

Facebook is 'building shadow profiles of non-users', claims privacy watchdog

Facebook is building profiles of people who have not created an account with the social networking giant, it has been claimed.

The allegation, made by Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner (IDPC), claims that users are encouraged to give out non user's personal details, like names, phone numbers and email addresses, which Facebook uses to create 'shadow profiles' of those people. 

However, Facebook, which has 800 million users, has denied the claims and refutes allegations it is tracking information of non account holders too.

Facebook is building 'shadow' profiles of non-users who have not created an account on the world's largest social network it has been claimed

The claims were outlined in a complaint made by student Max Schrems, 24, in August who asked the company to release data it held on him much of which he claims he had deleted from his profile.

 

He was given a CD with all the information, including data about his friend requests and messages he had deleted, and then filed 22 complaints with the IDPC, which has jurisdiction over Facebook in Europe. 

The complaint states that information is being gathered 'without notice or consent by the data subject' and may be 'embarrassing or intimidating and might also constitute sensitive data like political opinions, religious beliefs or sexual orientation'.

If the social network is found to be keeping data illegally it will be forced to comply with the law or it will be fined. 

If Facebook, founded by Mark Zuckerberg, pictured, is found to be keeping data illegally it will be forced to comply with the law or it will be fined

Spokesman for the IDPC Ciara O'Sullivan told FoxNews.com that its audit of Facebook Ireland's privacy policies was part of a 'statutory investigation' which is expected to trigger changes.

She said the 'comprehensive audit' will begin before the end of the month. 

Facebook spokesman Andrew Noyes told the news website it allows users to send emails to friends inviting them to join Facebook and that invitee's email addresses and names are kept so users can be informed when friends join. 

He said this practice was common among services that involve invitations. 

Mr Noyes added 'The assertion that Facebook is doing some sort of nefarious profiling is simply wrong'. 

The social network also said information from users it not used to target advertisements and information is not sold to other people.