Although social media has no physical boundaries, online behavior changes from country to country.  In the past few months, a number of studies have been conducted that take a look at the difference in social media usage around the globe.

A recent study by Unica put a stoplight on the difference in North American vs. European social media usage. They discovered that Europeans are not transitioning into the social media realm as quickly as North Americans.  Although 58% of North American marketers are involved in social media marketing, only 34% of European marketers are engaged.  In December, The Nielsen Company chose to look at online habits when compared across individual countries.  While Australia leads in average time spent per person on social media sites, the US and Japan lead in the number of unique visitors.

In the next few years, many factors may cause these findings to change. As internet access becomes increasingly more available, the worldwide internet population will increase, more content will be accessible, and more conversations will be conducted. Advancements in the mobile market allow marketers to engage users without even turning on a computer. Countries that focus on taking advantage of the growth in this market will most likely see an increase in social media participation. On the other hand, factors such as language barriers and censorship may hinder the growth of social media in certain countries.  If China, for example, continues to censor internet content, this will negatively influence their online usage.