With every passing day, social media redefines communication. As of 2011, 35.3 percent of the Georgian population is internet users. According to internetworldstats.com, internet users drastically grew by 1.2 million since 2000. Despite the large number of internet users, the Caucasus Research Resource Centers’ 2011 media survey states that 88 percent of the population relies on television for information and news. The internet takes up only 5 percent. Based on an article by the European Journalism Center, that analyzes the media landscape in Georgia, “online news media are developing in Georgia, but at a slower pace than elsewhere in Europe”. So where does Georgia stand in its usage of social media outlets?
The Bank of Georgia hosted an event in 2012 to “recognize the digital revolution” that is occurring in today’s time. That was the second meet-up that the Bank of Georgia held.
Also in 2012, The Kvinna till Kvinna foundation organized a workshop on advocacy and social media, with the aid of the Women’s resource center. Efforts towards promoting social media as means of change and self-expression in Georgia have been expanding.
With social media networks taking over as means of communication, it seems like it’s not only youngsters who are avid digital communicators today. An increasing amount of Georgians are adapting to email, Skype, Youtube, forums, blogging and above all, Facebook. With that in mind, Facebook secured the no. 1 spot on the list of the most visited social network in Georgia. It was followed by Youtube, and Îäíîêëàññíèêè.ru.
According to Socialbakers.com, a website that provides social media statistics, the total number of monthly active Facebook users in Georgia count up to a whopping 1,031,320. Georgia is the no. 83 on the list of Facebook users by country. In the last 6 months alone, users increased by more than 180 thousand. Unsurprisingly, the largest active age group is teenagers and young adults from the age of 18 to 24.
Georgian celebrities with the most Facebook fans are led by Bera Ivanishvili, and followed by Patriarch Ilia II.
But when it comes to another social network giant, the microblogging of Twitter is not as prevalent in Georgia as it is in the United States. Though studies have indicated that Twitter is the fastest growing and most used social platform in the world, it dipped to as low as no. 28 when ranking the most used websites in Georgia.
Moreover, Linkedin, with its simplicity and success, is considered one of the world’s largest professional networks. It’s a great way for employers to find potential employees. Users can build a Linkedin page essentially like a resume. In the United States, Linkedin is frequently used by companies and organizations to hire people based on their experience, education and qualifications. It has over 200 million users in 200 countries. But when searching for Georgian users, Linkedin only came up with 67,941 results for Georgia.
According to opennet.com, “the number of blogs is rapidly rising in the country, mainly among young people”. More people are reaching out to the masses, and making their voices heard through digital means. Forums are also big in the country. Forum.ge is considered the largest Georgian forum. European Journalism Center states that Forum.ge “allows users debate politics, employment, education, health, sports, leisure, etc.”
Access to social networks is available at our fingertips, with the countless mobile apps and software. Twitter music and Facebook home are both new features to the already successful networks that will be presented for the public to use in the very near future. With more and more platforms emerging to assist people in promoting themselves and their causes, the possibilities are endless and Georgian internet users are trying to catch up and take advantage of it all.