Social Networking Sites in The Netherlands; an Explorative Study

The rampant growth of social networking has become an issue of attention and interest by commercial organizations. Based on a national sample this paper investigates the demographics, profiles and behavior of participants of Social Networking sites in The Netherlands. The paper provides a typology of users of social networking sites, identifies preferences and trends and reveal ways that online citizens use the social media and contribute or consume user generated content. The findings provide a better understanding of the importance of the Social Networks for the digital citizen and provide enough options for marketers to integrate these media into their marketing approaches and strategies.