Facebook became the second most popular website in the UK, overtaking Microsoft for the first time last month. Reports from UKOM/Nielsen said that people aged 50 and above flocked to social networks, giving Facebook the second place, next to Google.
Facebook has attracted a record 26.8 million visitors in the UK, a 7 percent year on year increase, beating the 26.2 million people who visited the MSN/Bing/WindowsLive websites that are owned by Microsoft. Google had a staggering 33.9 million visits.
Twitter also has increased its visitors to 6.1 million after thousands retweeted celebrity scandals, including the Manchester United football star Ryan Giggs super-injunctions. UKOM/Nielsed stated that the number of retired women has doubled while the Giggs scandals are discussed.
UKOM general manager James Smythe said that “The growth in audiences to these social networks is now primarily being driven by the 50-plus age group. Just a few years ago, this group may have found itself out of place on these sites.”
LinkedIn, a business network, registered 3.6 million hits in the UK, 57 percent higher than the previous year. The company’s market value rose to $6.65 billion since the debut of the New York stock market last month.
In the United States, Facebook has increased by 7 percent, with 140 million visits. In Spain, it went up 7 percent, 18 percent in France, 72 percent in Germany and 26 percent in Italy.
With the on-going increase in numbers of visits to Facebook, do you think the company will maintain its lead over Microsoft?
