The PR Insider, an online newsletter I subscribe to, had some interesting statistics about the increase of social networking.

  • Since April, Twitter has gained 40 million users and a 62 percent increase in mobile use of the platform. (Source: ClickZ)
  • LinkedIn has grown by an impressive 100 percent from last year; it now has more than 100 million users across the globe. Interestingly, 56% of these users are from outside of the US. (Econsultancy)
  • Back in January 2010, Facebook had 350 million active users across the globe. It now has in excess of 640 million – half of which log in daily. (Econsultancy)
  • Social networks are no longer a trend. They are a fact of life for millions of Americans. (EMSI)

The article concludes, “This all stands to figure as Americans are being forced to do more with less. They have to make ends meet with less money, get more work done in less time and take care of their families despite the growing demands of earning money through more than one job. Social networking allows Americans to get news, stay in touch with friends and promote their business interests.”

I had never thought about money, or lack thereof, as being a reason for increased social networking, but it does connect us more easily and faster and suddenly the world is a much smaller place.  We connect with family, friends and business associates without spending a penny. New, potential markets are reached as marketing budgets are leveraged with just a click of our mouse.  (A two month inexpensive ad campaign increased “Likes” for my book’s Facebook page by 952%!)  Maybe there is a money component to this.

I have to admit I’ve seen social networking as a necessary evil (and I wasn’t too sure about the necessary part).  But, if I shift that box and alter my view to include this new thinking, perhaps I too can accept it as a positive fact of life.  How about you?

The truth is I believe there is a money component to everything we do—guess I just forgot for a minute!

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