Internet, Smartphone, and Social Media Use in Developing and Advanced Economies

 Pew Research has shown that Internet and social media usage is high in advanced economies while it is growing eponentially in developing ones. In the US, about 89% of people reported owning a smartphone or using the Internet at least occasionally in 2017 and 2018. At the other end of the spectrum, only 25% of people in Tanzania reported owning a smartphone or using the Internet at least occasionally.

What about social media use? The results here were more varied. In the US, 69% of adults use social media. In China, the rate of social media use among adults is 60%. However, in Germany, an advanced economy with a high rate of Internet use, only 40% of adults use social media. In contrast, the middle eastern countries report relatively high levels of social media use despite the fact that only Israel is considered to have an advanced economy.

If you want to check out the report from Pew Research Center yourself, here is a link.