Somebody please poke me!
To friend, or de-friend. That's Japanese social media users' question. Japanese have the fewest friends and acquaintances online, according to TNS Digital Life. With an average of just 29, they were trounced by Malaysians who average 233.
The survey interviewed 50,000 consumers in 46 countries says the BBC, with Japan significantly placed bottom -- neighboring China has an average of 68.
In Japan few people use Facebook or Twitter compared to other nations, preferring gaming network site GREE and local networking site mixi, both of which have more than 20 million users. Mobile-phone networking site Mobage Town has a further 20 million.
Mixi allows users to become friends with each other in a similar way to Facebook, but few people use pictures of themselves on the site and almost all use pseudonyms to avoid being found by people they don't know -- a major difference to other countries.
TNS's chief development officer Matthew Froggatt suggests that countries with fewer online friends might represent "a culture that embraces fewer but closer friendships."
Brazil came second with an average of 231 friends, then Norway with 217. Malaysians also spend the most time on networking sites, averaging nine hours per week.
Further reading;
Social networking site Gree becomes Japan's no.1
In My Bag: New social network defines you by your possessions
Japanese mobile phone content sales pass ¥1.5 trillion
