Facebook bottom of the pile for UK communication

Despite reports suggesting a fifth of people prefer Facebook to using a mobile phone to contact people, the social network remains bottom of the pile in UK communications methods.

Respondents didn't say they preferred Facebook at all, the TalkTalk survey showed. Instead, it found 22 per cent of people said they regularly used Facebook to contact others.

Even in countries where Facebook leads, the differences between market shares are often not as dramatic as they are in the US.

This was almost half the figure for those using mobile phones, 10 per cent less than email and over 20 per cent less than both landline calls and texting.

"In an age where the rise of social media as a way for people to contact each other is frequently discussed, it's good to see that verbal communication is still important," said Mark Schmid, spokesperson for TalkTalk.

Facebook is evidently attempting to boost its communications offerings, bringing in Skype functionality and offering users the ability to have their own @facebook.com address.

Yet in the business world, the mobile phone still dominates. Almost half of respondents said they used their mobile to contact workmates, compared to 26 per cent who used Facebook.

Mark Zuckerburg and his underlings will still be over the moon about the company's success, however. Facebook revenue doubled to hit $1.6 billion in the first half of 2011, according to a source with knowledge of the company's financials, Reuters reported.

Facebook currently has over half of the estimated 1.5 billion social network users in the world, yet some believe others can compete with the industry's number one. In emerging countries in particular, Facebook's dominance could be under threat.

"Facebook has had tremendous success, but select markets such as China, Japan, and South Korea remain challenges to the veritable social networking juggernaut," said ABI Research senior analyst Michael Inouye.

"In addition, even in countries where Facebook leads, the differences between market shares are often not as dramatic as they are in the US."