Today marks the first-ever observance of International Online Friendship Day, a moment to recognize the role online friends play in an increasingly connected world. According to a recent survey by Skout, the global app that helps people meet new people, majority of people have a close friend they have met online but never in person.
Skout, which helped facilitate over 500 million connections among its users last year, recently surveyed more than 52,000 of its users worldwide to uncover friendship trends from Seattle to Sydney. The surveys also revealed the 10 friendliest cities in the US.
The results are in, and highlights from Skout’s global friendship survey include:
The majority of the world prefers to discuss their sex life with online friends.
Maybe it’s because online friends give more honest advice?
- Nearly 60% of Brazilians and Germans and nearly 50% of Americans, Brits, Australians, French and Filipinos say it is far easier to talk about their sex life online than with friends in real life.
Women are most likely to have close online friends.
- 56% of women in the U.S. have a close friend they have met online but never in real life, compared to 44% of men.
Who hears the truth? Online friends.
- 60% of respondents in the US said they were more honest with their online friends than with friends they see in person.
Online friendships = more friends around the world.
Technology has helped break down geographic barriers and enable friendships around the world.
- 59% of Filipinos, 53% of Brits, 48% of Australians, 46% of the French, 42% of Germans, 39% of Americans and 33% of Brazilians are friends with people who live in another country.
It’s not just Millennials who have online friends.
- While 52% of adults under the age of 30 say they have a close friend they’ve met online, 47% of adults over the age of 40 say the same.
Skout also asked its users to name the friendliest qualities of residents in major cities across the US. The findings for the 10 friendliest cities in the U.S., along with infographics, can be viewed on Skout’s blog at http://blog.skout.com/2015/02/03/17-international-online-friendship-day-facts/.
“Our goal is to help millions of people connect and expand their social circle on- and offline,” said Christian Wiklund, co-founder and CEO of Skout. “Technology is making it increasingly easy to make new friends anytime, anywhere, which explains why more and more friendships are starting and flourishing through our digital platform.”
Skout is the largest global platform for meeting new people and expanding social circles. The Skout community spans more than 180 countries and is available in 14 languages. Skout is dedicated to providing a platform through which people can easily and safely connect.
The Andreessen Horowitz backed company was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in San Francisco.
For more information, visit www.skout.com.
