Social networking "explodes worldwide"

Social networking continues to burgeon worldwide as sites increase their focus on cultural relevance, new figures suggest.

A study by digital sector analyst comScore indicates that, during the last year, the audience using such online resources has increased by two-thirds (66 per cent) in the Middle East and Africa, 35 per cent in Europe and one-third (33 per cent) in Latin America.

The analyst notes that the ascension of Facebook to become the top global social networking site - the site saw an increase in unique visitors of 153 per cent from June 2007 to June 2008 - has been spurred by its growth across worldwide regions.

Jack Flanagan, executive vice-president at comScore, notes that social networking is beginning to reach a "point of maturity" in North America.

"However, the phenomenon is still growing rapidly in other regions around the world – especially as the established American brands turn their focus to developing markets," he adds.

Facebook recently confirmed that Benjamin Ling, who was recruited from search giant Google to lead its developer platform product marketing team, is due to leave the firm, making him the fourth executive to part ways with the company in recent months.