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May 8, 2012
After US resident Kimberley Hester was recently fired by her employer for refusing to hand over her password and Facebook profile details, the lack of global employee protection became apparent to many an excellent international law firm. Provoked by the international incident, South Africa has now introduced a new social media law to protect the SA workforce from this type of treatment.
Johan Botes, director of the Chris Dekker employment practice firm, spoke out about the social media law in terms of employment, saying that South African employers were not allowed to “unfairly discriminate against employees or applicants” based on a number of grounds listed in section 6 of the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998.
In light of the recent twitter scandal where SA model Jessical Leandra Dos Santos lost corporate sponsorship after a racist tweet, the new digital media law will not be all-encompassing. Botes explained that while the media law will protect employees and job applicants from being unfairly dismissed based on their refusal to share their social media profiles and passwords, South Africa’s Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) has confirmed that employees may be fired should they post derogatory remarks about their employer, colleagues or clients on Facebook or Twitter.
A fair equilibrium, South Africa’s new social media law will prevent employer’s discriminating against employees and potential staff candidates based on personal information found on their social media profiles. While workers are promised protection, Botes has recommended that they maintain a clean online reputation if they want to create a good corporate impression.
May 7, 2012
With the rest of the world already firmly in the internet era, African internet statistics reveal a different picture to many other continents, as well as some other interesting results about online technology usage in Africa. Google, through the use of its tools, have released interesting figures that showcase how desktop browsing is still the most used method of internet access, despite the huge amount of Africans who use mobile communications as their only communication access port, including internet access.
From results from their Internet Usage tool, Google showcased how 32% of all Africans still access the internet through desktops through dedicated server and access points and a paltry figure of 10% use the internet purely from a mobile device. While in South Africa, Internet statistics were more balanced at 20% for both mobile and desktop usage, Nigeria, an African leader in business, showed that internet use from mobile was only 8% with 32% being from desktop access points. Social Media is the top usage and the major driving force behind the increased internet use on the continent, but there is a very low penetration of internet usage amongst person above 45 years of age.
While internet usage across the continent is still mainly business based with many hosted exchange systems facilitating communications across the continent, the social side is growing amongst the youth, with increases of over 20% in the last 5 years amongst those between 16 and 25 years old. While many people are aware of online services for news and entertainment, learning access is distinctly lacking and interest in religion online is on the decrease and lags behind almost any other type of internet search. African internet still lags behind the rest of the world, with over 40% of users across the continent claiming cost to be the largest barrier to entry for African internet users.
April 28, 2011
If you are looking for an answer to a medical question there are a number of online healthcare websites and forums that you can have a look at. With the rise in popularity of social media, online healthcare services are being utilised in an innovative way. While clinical trials are time consuming and require getting and capturing a lot of information, using a social media site to do this drastically reduces time and hassle.
A clinical research associate notes that the social networking health site PatientsLikeMe set up an online healthcare program in the form of a network platform where patients involved in a trial could share information on the use of lithium affect their condition (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). The network designed a special tool that standardised how the data was collected, and an algorithm which paired those taking lithium with those who were not. According to the study, they were able to determine results in just nine months. The online healthcare education or study showed that lithium had no effect on the progression of the disease.
A regulatory affairs manager noted the usefulness of an online healthcare system; they were quick to point out that this kind of study does not replace the double blind clinical trials. The PatientsLikeMe network has some 100 000 patients as members, and there are 500 health conditions that get discussed on the platform. The platform is not limited to patients but can be used by all, although some basic training of the online healthcare system may be required.
Related studies have shown that social media can have an effect on research as it can put considerable pressure on politicians and the like to sway research. Patients use these online healthcare systems to communicate, which means that healthcare professionals should also familiarise themselves with these tools and keep in touch with their patients.
January 17, 2011
Sweden is among the world’s most connected countries, with an Internet penetration rate of 92.5%. The region’s Internet statistics show that the Swedish online population is divided chiefly between Networkers (31%) and Functionals (27%). While Networkers are highly involved users who see the Internet as a method of forming and maintaining relationships, Functionals are older users (the Swedish average age is 41.7 years) who see it as a tool for necessary actions like emailing, news updates and online shopping. These statistics tell us that while the majority of Internet users in Sweden are keen to communicate with the rest of the world online, there is still a great deal of potential for growth and more personal expression among the country’s Internet users.
The attitudes and preferences of Swedish Internet users are reflected in the statistics outlining the country’s most popular digital activities. Emailing is considered the most important activity by 40% of the Internet population, followed by social networking at 27%. Other popular online functions in Sweden include news updates and admin activities.
While Sweden is certainly ahead of the UK in terms of Internet penetration, statistics show the Scandinavian country still has some catching up to do when it comes to engaging in a digital lifestyle. While 43% of UK Internet users are counted as “highly engaged” in digital activities, only 27% of Swedish users fit into this category. However, the recent increase in mobile Internet usage may indicate a change in user behaviour throughout Sweden.
While the most common form of Internet connection in Sweden currently is fixed broadband, statistics point to a sharp rise in mobile 3G and 4G connections over the past 2 years. This trend could be an indication that online engagement is rising in Sweden, with Internet usage becoming a more integral part of the average user’s lifestyle. Could this lead to a boost in online relationships between Swedish Internet users and others globally? The developments in the coming year will certainly be interesting to watch!
This is a prime example of how Internet statistics can be analysed to anticipate new trends and behavioural changes in the worldwide online market.
December 24, 2010
The digital age means that all over the world, consumers are becoming more and more reliant on the Internet in every aspect of their daily lives. Digital statistics show that consumers use the Internet to access news updates, shop for their favourite products and of course, to communicate and form connections with other users. An overview and analysis of digital statistics in the Philippines show that while some countries may still have a low rate of Internet penetration, a large number of users are looking to the Internet to help them connect with each other – and with the rest of the world.
The rate of Internet penetration in the Philippines is only 29.7% – far lower than that in the UK (82.5%) or the US (76.3%). Digital statistics tell us that the average age of an Internet user in the Philippines is 22.7 years. The vast majority of these users fall into a group called Aspirers; these users are typically new to digital activities and eager to engage in more of everything, from social media to online shopping. Statistics tell us Aspirers account for 83% of the online population in the Philippines.
There are 4 online activities that Internet users in the Philippines consider highly important; these are social networking, emailing, knowledge and planning activities, and online gaming.
Marketing experts will tell you that these digital statistics demonstrate huge potential for engaging with consumers in the Philippines; this is an online market dominated by young adults looking to become more active online. The popularity of interactive gaming and social media indicates a willingness to engage with other users globally.
The country’s digital statistics also point to a high rate of mobile Internet activity; many users in the Philippines favour mobile devices when browsing, accessing news or sport updates, and shopping online. It also shows that the young consumers are eager to adopt the latest technology as they create a personal space online.
This is an ideal example of how digital statistics can point to marketing opportunities and consumer trends on the international stage.
Despite the fact that only 9.6% of the country has access to the Internet, when we take a look at social network statistics in Uganda, we can see that the country’s young population are more interested in using the internet to learn rather than socialize on one of the many social networks. How do we know this? Let’s take a look some of the social networking statistics Uganda has to offer…
What are your sources of these statistics?
Hi Sid
These statistics can be found at: http://discoverdigitallife.com/
Its a pretty great website with a unique way of showing online digital statistics.