The number of subscribers accessing social networking sites via mobile device will grow to 607.5 million worldwide by 2013, representing 43 percent of global mobile web users, according to a new forecast issued by eMarketer. Mobile social networkers will grow to 56.2 million in the U.S. by 2013–about 45 percent of the nation’s mobile web user segment. eMarketer anticipates mobile social networking will enjoy 46.8 percent CAGR between 2008 and 2014, increasing from 76 million worldwide users to 760.1 million during that seven-year stretch–by 2014, 13.3 percent of all global mobile subscribers will access social media sites.
“Combining two much-hyped, but still-emerging channels–mobile and social–results in a developing opportunity for marketers,” said eMarketer senior analyst Noah Elkin in a prepared statement, adding that while location-based networks like Loopt and foursquare have not yet achieved critical mass, they are worth watching given that they work to link people, places and interests. Elkin notes that location-based services can also be used in other contexts to help marketers target social network users with relevant information and offers: “Location-aware branded applications and utilities that include a social component provide an avenue for marketers to engage their audience directly.”
Source : eMarketer
![View Sidhartha Bezbora (sidhartha[at]bezbora.com)'s profile on LinkedIn](http://www.linkedin.com/img/webpromo/btn_viewmy_120x33.gif){kind=small}