Over 12 million consumers across the US and Western Europe have reportedly gained access to a social networking site through a mobile device, according to new research.The figures, produced by M:Metrics, revealed that the appetite for mobile social networking was greatest in the US, with 7.5 million American users.
Italy came second, with 1.3 million of its mobile subscribers accessing social networking sites, and the UK was third, with 1.1 million people remotely accessing such sites.
Facebook and MySpace were reported as the top two social networking sites accessed in the UK and the US, with Google-owned YouTube taking the third spot.
But Microsoft's MSN proved the most popular in other countries.
Senior analyst at M:Metrics Mark Donovan commented: "For an increasingly wide audience, social networking sites have become an indispensable part of the digital lifestyle.
"Nearly every online social networking site has added the ability to connect to these communities with a mobile phone, allowing people to access profiles and share content while they're on the go."
It is a natural progression for people to use their phones to access these sites because mobiles play such a pivotal role in consumers' lives these days, he added.
M:Metrics, a US-based company with offices in San Francisco and Washington, provides information on the mobile market, including the consumption of mobile applications and content.
