comScore, Inc. reports that social networking is drawing new users into the mobile Web. In November, 34 percent of mobile phone owners in Western Europe who visited social networking sites accessed social media exclusive of all other mobile Web content.

With 12.1 million users in Western Europe (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the U.K.), mobile social networking is a rapidly-expanding category that grew 152 percent from November 2007 to November 2008. The U.K. boasts the highest penetration of mobile social networking, at 9 percent, nearly triple that of Germany, where the activity is the least popular. The average penetration rate across all countries is 5 percent.



"A large portion of the growth in the mobile Internet audience can be attributed to social networking," observed Alistair Hill, analyst, comScore M:Metrics. "In the UK, for example, the audience of those accessing news and information, but not social networking services, with their mobile browser or an application grew by 149,000 unique users, whereas the number of those exclusively accessing social networking grew by six times that number in the past year."

Mobile Social Networking Heavier Among Females

comScore also analyzed the demographics of social media users in Europe, and found that those who use social networking exclusive of other mobile Internet content skew more female than those who consume other forms of mobile Internet content. Women comprise 48 percent of the audience accessing only social media, but only 32 percent of those who access other types of mobile Internet content. In addition, the median age for social media-only users is 28, versus 36 for other mobile Internet users.

"This development is encouraging for the future of the mobile Internet," commented Hill. "Social networking is taking the mobile Internet out of the early adopter demographic, and into the mainstream."