Social networks refer to the virtual communities of users who communicate freely on the Internet. These platforms have now become a way for people to meet and socialize in real life. Interactive communication on social networks is enabled by various software platforms, such as LINE, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, WhatsApp, WeChat, Skype, Linkedln, and Facebook Messenger, and it is accomplished via text messages, audio, video, and other media.Social networks refer to the virtual communities of users who communicate freely on the Internet. These platforms have now become a way for people to meet and socialize in real life. Interactive communication on social networks is enabled by various software platforms, such as LINE, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, WhatsApp, WeChat, Skype, Linkedln, and Facebook Messenger, and it is accomplished via text messages, audio, video, and other media.

According to data compiled by Eurostat (European Statistical Office), in 2022, the overall average social network participation rate in the European Union's 27 member states was 58.07%. The Scandinavian country of Norway had the highest participation rate, with nearly nine out of ten persons (89.65%), followed closely by Denmark (84.73%). Hungary, in Eastern Europe, also had a relatively high participation rate (78.54%), followed by the eastern Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus (77.91%), and Montenegro, located in the southwestern part of the Balkan Peninsula, also had a sizable number of social network users (77.32%). Finally, the remaining European countries with a participation rate of at least 70% include Malta, Finland, and the Netherlands, as shown in the figure above.

In addition, the social network participation rates of other major EU member states are below the overall average of the 27-member bloc's of 58.07%: Italy (53.19%), Germany (47.73%), and France (44.46%), with the exception of Spain (63.22%).

Taiwan, although not included in the EU survey, had 21.72 million Internet users in 2022, as reported in the latest edition of Digital 2022: TAIWAN, published by We Are Social and Kepios, accounting for about 91% of the total population. Users who were active on social networks numbered 21.35 million, which accounts for 89.4% of the population and represents an increase of 8.4% over 2021. In addition, the average amount of time the citizens spent online per day was 8 hours 7 minutes, of which one-fourth (2 hours 4 minutes) was spent on social networks. This suggests that the Internet user community in Taiwan also has a very high social network participation rate.