Social networking platforms and online communities are among the most popular Internet applications, and explanatory developments of the “Web 2.0” or “Social Web”.

They allow their users to set up a personal profile, to communicate with other members, and to present photos or videos online.

In September 2008, 1.979 persons were surveyed representatively for the Internet users in an online survey.

The aim of this survey was to analyse the awareness and use of various online networking platforms, to map the different user structures and to create a uniform measurement for the comparability of these platforms. Furthermore, motives of users as well as reasons of non-users, arguing against the use of online networks, were analysed. It was surveyed which data the users in the individual networks reveal about themselves, and how they estimate the data security of the respective network. The extent to which the networks differ in the perception of their users as opposed to non-users was analysed as well.

Results for the 12 largest online networks in Germany, like Facebook, Xing, Wer-kennt-wen, Myspace or Stayfriends, are available. By means of these results, predications about the formation and motives of different networks’ users can be made. Furthermore, based on this survey, motivational structures can be depicted for the individual networking platforms, and estimations on their data security can be made. Regarding the use of online networks, significant differences depending on gender, region or education can be detected.