How 24 Developing Countries Use Social Media

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Internet use is up in developing nations, but going online is still a rare activity in many countries. The Pew Research Center conducted a global survey in spring 2013 that tracked technology adoption in 24 less-developed countries.

The results show that cell phones are ubiquitous but smartphones still rare. Texting and taking pictures are among the most common uses of mobile phones. Among Internet users, social media is a popular pasttime.

Egypt - 88 percent

Russia - 86 percent

Philippines - 86 percent

Tunisia - 85 percent

Indonesia - 84 percent

Jordan - 84 percent

Venezuela - 83 percent

Nigeria - 83 percent

Turkey - 79 percent

Ghana - 77 percent

Mexico - 77 percent

Chile - 76 percent

Malaysia - 76 percent

Kenya - 76 percent

Argentina - 75 percent

El Salvador - 75 percent

Senegal - 75 percent

Brazil - 73 percent

Lebanon - 72 percent

Bolivia - 71 percent

South Africa - 62 percent

China - 48 percent

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Stephanie Pappas
Stephanie Pappas
Live Science Contributor

Stephanie Pappas is a contributing writer for Live Science, covering topics ranging from geoscience to archaeology to the human brain and behavior. She was previously a senior writer for Live Science but is now a freelancer based in Denver, Colorado, and regularly contributes to Scientific American and The Monitor, the monthly magazine of the American Psychological Association. Stephanie received a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of South Carolina and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz.