comScore has released the results of a study regarding the global reach of major social networks, indicating that these networks have had substantial growth in the past year.
MySpace tops the charts with over 114 million global visitors age 15+ in June, 2007. This is a 72% increase from last year. Facebook had more growth than MySpace, with a 270% increase, going up to 52.2 million visitors. Bebo is up 172% reaching 18.2 million while Tagged has seen the highest growth factor, up 774%, gaining 13.2 million visitors. comScore notes that this global growth means that online social networking is not a fad, but a larger expression of global Internet culture that's becoming more integrated every year.
The report also highlights a trend we've already been alerted to--Bebo dominating in Europe while MySpace and Facebook hold the top spots in North America. Also noted in this report is the trend that major social networks appeal to certain groups, allowing them to become popular in different regions. This shows, on a geographical scale, the correlation between physical communities and online networks.
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