Social networking creeping up on email's crown

A new study from research firm Ipsos confirms what most already know - email continues to be the most popular way to communicate. Eighty-five percent of Internet users worldwide use the Internet for email while 62% use it for social networking (defined in the study as visiting social networking sites, forums or blogs).

The numbers vary wildly by country. Hungary has the highest number of email users with 94% logging on to use email. By comparison, the study "Interconnected World: Communication & Social Networking" found just 46% of those in Saudi Arabia use email.

Indonesia and Argentina both show high levels of social networking use with 83% and 76% respectively.

Social networking is slowly becoming the new way to communicate. It enables "true interconnection and engagement", says Keren Gottfried, research manager at Ipsos Global Public Affairs, instead of a message back and forth.

Even in countries where social media use isn't as popular the figures average over a third. Social network use in Japan is 35% and in Saudi Arabia 42%.

Tags: email, global, Internet trends, research, social networking