London is, suggests an article by the Telegraph's Emma Barnett, the social media capital of the World. Here's her evidence:
- 10% of traffic to Digg, the link recommendation service, comes from London
- London is the largest geographical network on Facebook
- Twitter has revealed that London is it's top city in terms of usage
Some twitter users, such as Newcastle based Stephen Davies (@stedavies),
have argued that, although they aren't based in London themselves,
their ISP is, which fools websites into thinking that the user is in
London. If widespread, this could certainly skew the statistics.
Likewise, it's easy to believe that many people who are members of the
London network on Facebook are people who have visited, or aspire to
live here rather than those actually based in London. I, for one, live
in St. Albans, just
outside London, and haven't joined either network. Again, I'm certain
many are under or over counted for similar reasons.
Regardless
of statistical certainty, it is true that many people in London use
social networking services and other social sites. Emma Barnett asked
me why – here's what I said:
"Londoners are well known for maintaining a polite distance in their dealings
with each other. Whilst this makes it easier to navigate a city of 7.5
million – imagine having to say hello and making chit-chat with everyone you
encounter on the tube – it's also somewhat dehumanising.
"I'm not at all surprised that Londoners are taking advantage of social
networking because it gives them the opportunity to do what people in
smaller cities and towns often take for granted – have random conversations
with strangers without worrying too much about overstepping personal
boundaries."
However, Mr Hamman also thinks the truth of the matter might just be: "London
has a comparatively young, affluent and office based workforce with high
levels of internet connectivity. That, combined with its status as a global
communications, business and social hub, means that its population is more
likely than those of similar sized cities to participate in social
networking activities."
This is a great observation as I am from London and agree that it is somewhat satisfying striking up a conversation with a stranger where as on the Tube you would be hauled off by men in white coats.
Ed