Which languages are used on social networks?
Which languages are used on social networks? Twitter and LinkedIn are social networks where both individual users and companies can have a presence. One of the points to highlight in the global expansion of social media, and one which is relevant for brands, is the language used in each network. But, before we discuss it, let's take a look at the current state of social networks.
The current state of social networks
According to the annual study carried out by IAB SPAIN, Facebook is the social network par excellence and attracts the most users (91%), followed by WhatsApp (89%), YouTube (71%) and Twitter (50%). Instagram saw the highest growth rate last year, and has overtaken LinkedIn. Twitter and Google+ have seen a slight decline in popularity.
Among the leading networks, Google+ is at the tail together with Pinterest, which has risen by 14%, compared to last year. Google+ is not very popular among social network users, given that its main goal is to maintain SEO in the Google search engine.
Why do people use social networking sites?
Social networking sites are increasing in popularity in Spain. Daily use has risen between 10% and 15%, according to a study carried out by Connected Life. Some details discussed in the study are:
- The main reasons for using social networking sites: to chat, to send messages, to see what your contacts are doing, among others.
- Brand following: 83% of users follow a brand and more than fifty percent of users say they are influenced in their purchasing decisions.
- E-commerce and social networks: 53% of users search for products on social networks. Facebook is the most popular network for this (64%).
- Type of content: photos are the most commonly published content on social networks. Instagram is the most popular photo application and one which has seen a rise in popularity and use over the last two years (from 32% in 2014 to 53% in 2016).
How do users connect?
In Spain, according to a study carried out by Ditrendia, 91% of users access social networks on their mobile phones. Comparing access by devices, Spaniards prefer to access social networks from their mobile phone after 4 pm, while tablets are more popular at night and are used more after 8:30 pm. The social networks most typically accessed from mobile phones and tablets are Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
Advice for brands
Brand presence on social media creates a connection with users and builds trust. Thus, brands should take their online communications very seriously, and they should:
- Improve their creation of content, and ensure that it can be used on various channels, not only on Facebook.
- Collaborate with influencers, as these successfully boost engagement with users.
- Identify what attracts and interests their clients.
- Adapt their content to mobile devices.
We have now seen the most popular social networks in Spain and their trends. But what about the languages spoken on social networks?
The most frequently used languages on social networks
Facebook is the social network on which more languages are spoken, with a total of 70. LinkedIn, on the other hand, only uses 17 languages.
English, considered to be the global language, is top of the list of the most spoken languages on social networks and internet. On internet, more than 50% of websites are in English. The Cervantes Institute carried out a study in 2016 that concluded that on Twitter, nearly 241 million users post tweets in English and 78% of these users speak English as a second language.
It also determined that the second most spoken language is Chinese, followed by Spanish with 7.6%, which is surprising given that Spanish is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. It is interesting to note however, that on Facebook and Twitter, Spanish is in second place, behind English, in the ranking of the most spoken languages.
Furthermore, in certain places, such as New York, Spanish is second after English as the most frequently used language on Twitter.
And you? Which social networks do you use and which languages do you use to communicate?
