India is the second most highly populated country in the world, and internet is becoming more widely available across the country. A former colony of the British Empire, the country has been growing politically, socially and economically stronger in recent years, and internet usage figures are reflecting this transition for the country. Almost 1.2 billion people lived in India during 2010, and this number is still increasing.
Global research firm Ipsos has found that the majority of the Indian population continue to use email to communicate and converse, favoring it over the social networks which have grown more popular elsewhere in the world. This news was first reported on by the India Times. According to the results garnered by Ipsos, approximately 68% of internet-connected people across India use email as a form of networking. In comparison, they estimate around 60% of the population with internet connections to make use of social networks.
Estimates from within the industry have estimated that approximately 103.6 million people will get an internet connection this year across the globe, and that figure will be closer to 221.6 million people in 2015. India is not the only country to use email as one of its main forms of communication: around 94% of Hungarian internet users are more likely to say that they email online rather than using social media. The trend continues through Sweden (92% of people), Belgium and Indonesia (both 91%), and Poland (90%).
Email is still used as a mainstay of communication across some countries, but this is not unexpected. Email has been around for longer than the concept of a social network, and many people may choose to stay with what they know best. This is understandable enough, for emails are easy to use. With services such as Google's Gmail, the storage space provided is also more than sufficient for everyone to stay in touch and keep a permanent record of their communications.
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