It was a case of ‘Where’s Waldo’ — Facebook style.
Social5 had traveled halfway around the world to teach Australian entrepreneurs how to better incorporate Facebook into their businesses. But something was missing.
We weren’t looking for that iconic character in a striped shirt and glasses. We were looking for that unmistakable ‘f’ that has become a staple of U.S. marketing. Even with two-thirds of Aussies on Facebook, the social network was conspicuously absent from the southern Australian city of Adelaide.
Now we aren’t about to judge Australia as socially awkward based on our experience in Adelaide. Truth is, the younger generation is largely plugged in. But there are some differences between Facebook use when you venture oversees.
Here’s one: Did you know China doesn’t allow Facebook? It’s true. China won’t allow Facebook or Twitter within its boundaries (which makes Facebook’s 1.5 billion population all the more impressive). The most pervasive social network is actually Qzone, which is visited by 43% of all Internet users, according to an analysis by eMarketer.
Here’s another fact: Our Nordic neighbors in Denmark, Norway and Sweden are more socially savvy than those of us in the United States? While 51.7% of Americans are expected to use Facebook in 2013, the percentage in Scandinavian countries are notably higher. Check out these numbers, compiled in that same analysis: Denmark (57.2%), Finland (56.4%), Norway (67.5%), Sweden (72%).
We didn’t see those kinds of disparities in Australia. But there were some observations worth mentioning.
• There appears to be a wider generational gap between young and old in Australia when it comes to social media. When it comes to young people, the countries are comparable. Both have 86% of their 20-something crowd on social media. The difference comes with age. Only 27% of Aussies (65 an up) are on social media, compared to 32% of Yanks.
• Businesses have a slightly bigger following in the United States. Forty-seven percent of Americans have engaged recently with a brand online. That compares with 42% of Aussies, according to a 2012 poll by Ipsos OTX and Ipsos Global @dvisor.
We’d like to send a big thank you to our friends ‘Down Under,’ who now are enjoying a little extra time to run their businesses with the help of Social5-Australia.
