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With constant news reports and studies regarding the adoption rates of social networking platforms like Foursquare (
), Gowalla (), Facebook (), Loopt and SCVNGR, a clear idea of the big picture can get a little muddled. Is Facebook really as popular as we think? Are location-based mobile features really poised to hit mainstream adoption?
To better answer these questions, behold the “GeoSocial Universe.” The graphic below pits our social network usage against the huge adoption of mobile phones — currently at 4.6 billion worldwide.
Facebook, with over 500 million users, is still around 10 times smaller than the worldwide mobile market. Even web-based e-mail, which accounts for over 800 million users collectively, barely holds a candle to the mobile juggernaut.
The key here is convergence. Where do all these social platforms intersect with mobile, thus becoming “GeoSocial?”
The infographic below shows the number of users on each network, and what portion of those users overlap with the huge mobile “sun.” For instance, Facebook has 500 million active users, with roughly one-third of them accessing their accounts via mobile devices. Services like Foursquare, Gowalla, and Loopt, being entirely dependent on mobile tech, have 100% of their users within the mobile sphere.
Does this put things into perspective? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
