Social networking is still just for fun and not being used in businesses, according to a report from analyst house Gartner.
Despite the popularity of sites such as Facebook and MySpace, the model is yet to move to the corporate world. Unsurprisingly, a survey by Gartner showed that most people which use such sites do so for fun and entertainment, rather than business or more practical reasons but that should change the report said.
"Social networking software holds enormous potential for improving the management of large companies," said Nick Ingelbrecht, research director at Gartner. "However, work in this area is still immature and in the meantime companies should be aware of what is happening in the world of consumer social networking and implement appropriate usage policies for employees' use of services such as Facebook and MySpace on company time."
The survey polled 4,000 users across 18 countries. Half said they didn't access such sites at all, but the most active users were not surprisingly teenagers and single people. Despite the popularity of Facebook and others like it, those surveyed still ranked email and search as more important internet functions.
Of those that do use such sites, some 38 per cent look at their social networking sites via their PC, while less than one per cent do so by mobile phone only, and eight per cent use both but that looks set to change more and more people access the web over their mobile device.
"Social networking has found new forms of expression on the internet which has helped to reshape the purpose and protocols of social networking in the online world and beyond. How to apply this in a corporate environment will be the next major challenge," said Julia Lin, project manager of research data and analytics at Gartner.
-
Should AI PCs be part of your next hardware refresh?AI PCs are fast becoming a business staple and a surefire way to future-proof your business
-
Westcon-Comstor and Vectra AI launch brace of new channel initiativesNews Westcon-Comstor and Vectra AI have announced the launch of two new channel growth initiatives focused on the managed security service provider (MSSP) space and AWS Marketplace.
-
The creator effect: Shaping the future of travelWhitepaper The way forward for the travel sector
-
Nearly half of all digital initiatives still fail – here’s how you can learn from the ‘digital vanguard’ and deliver successNews With most digital initiatives are failing to deliver, CIOs are urged to work more closely with other executives
-
IT services spending set to surge in 2025 as CIOs shift to AI partner solutionsNews Organizations are set to shift from buying generative AI solutions to implementing partner solutions, according to Gartner
-
Businesses still don’t know who’s accountable for AI at executive levelNews Executives are unclear on where the buck stops in terms of AI management
-
Gartner reveals the top trends for government technology use in 2024News Five key areas that public sector CIOs will need to address to improve citizen services
-
Return to office mandates can be divisive - here are three things business leaders can do to help smooth the transitionAnalysis With return to office mandates having sparked major spats between workers and employers, leaders need to consider how they can make changes attractive and effective
-
Global IT spending set to reach $5 trillion in 2024 amid optimistic industry outlookNews IT spending growth in 2024 is expected to be more than double that of 2023
-
What will drive IT spending in 2024?In-depth Generative AI spending is unlikely to be high despite the hype, but sustainable technology will become a bigger priority.
