Facebook and Twitter are two huge forces to be reckoned with when it comes to social media. Both have huge user bases; Facebook has more than a billion users, Twitter has over 500 million. Both networks boast users from all over the world. The same goes for other social media power players like Instagram, Pinterest, and Reddit. Each social network brings in a different crowd that houses a mix of cultures amongst users. This creates an interesting dynamic.
However, other countries also have social networks that are specific to themselves as well. Surprising, right? It can be if you haven’t thought about this before.
Here is a little information about some other big social networks from around the world:
Badoo, founded in Spain
Badoo focuses more on dating and meeting people. The service is offered only to those 18 years and older, contrary to Facebook and its relatively lax 13 and up policy. Badoo is free for a basic profile, but charges for some upgrades like games. Badoo now has a presence in 180 countries.
Weixin and Weibo. China
Weixin and Weibo are two large social networks in China. Weixin is relatively similar to Facebook, but it has the option to share to smaller groups of friends and family rather than everyone on your friend list. Weibo is geared more towards the general public and has a more Twitter-like feel.
StudiVZ, Germany
StudiVZ is a social network geared primarily towards students in Germany and Europe. According to Wikipedia, the network gets its name from the German expression Studentenverzeichnis, which translates to students’ directory. Because the interest of the network is primarily education, users’ profiles revolve around their studies, including what they study, interests, and classes they are taking.
Bebo, based in California
Bebo became popular several years ago. It was founded in California but quickly gained a large international following. In 2008, Bebo had upwards of 40 million users. The network has since lost many users, but is being revamped by its original founder.
While I don’t want to sound like a cliché, social networking has essentially taken over the modern world. More social networks exist than you can even think of. With the amount of social networks nowadays are people going to start getting burnt out? Only time will tell.