News: Social network sites battle to befriend US teenagers

News/Social Networks/Myspace/Cyworld
Found on: FT.com

In the red corner, weighing in at 15,000,000 users, the site with Seoul by way of Korea, Cyworld (ding, ding, ding) and in the blue corner, weighing in at an amazing 130,000,000 users, the undisputed, social network heavy weight champion of the WORLD, the one, the only, Myspace (ding, ding, ding)!


FT post:

At seven years old, Cyworld is a veritable veteran in the world of social networking. A dominant force in South Korea, where up to 90 per cent of under 20s are believed to be Cyworld members, the website is now looking for eyeballs in other parts of the world.

Top on the list of new targets is the US, the world’s biggest media market.

The American appetite for social networking appears to be just as robust as the Korean. Teenagers spend hours each day sending each other messages, pictures and videos. By some measures, more time is spent making and seeking entertainment on the internet than watching television – at the very least online chats are often done on laptops in front of the television.