• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, October 7, 2010

Americans are tops when it comes to social networking on mobile devices, according to a new study by comScore comparing mobile content use in the U.S., Japan and Europe. More than 21% of U.S. cell users went to a social networking site or blog as of June, compared to 17% in Japan and 14.7% in Europe.

Chalk it up to the Facebook factor. While Facebook ranks as the top mobile social networking option in the U.S. and Europe, it doesn't even make the top four in Japan. Homegrown Mixi is the leading mobile social property there, followed by Gree, Twitter and Mobage Town. In the U.S., Facebook is followed by MySpace, YouTube and Twitter.

In most other mobile data activities, Japanese cell subscribers not surprisingly outpaced their American and European counterparts. For instance, more than 75% use connected media (browsed, accessed applications or downloaded content) -- well ahead of the 43.7% in the U.S. and 38.5% in Europe. And 22% of Japanese mobile users watch TV or video on their handsets, compared to just 4.8% in the U.S. and 5.4% in Europe.

As big as text messaging is among Americans, it's even more pervasive among Europeans, of whom 82% are texting. Two-thirds of mobile users in the U.S. text message, and 40% in Japan. Europe is also in the lead in playing games on mobile, at 24% compared to 22.5% in the U.S. and 16.3% in Japan.

The comScore study also showed that mobile content use is more evenly balanced in Japan across demographic segments than in the U.S. and Europe, where younger users dominate mobile data activity.

In the U.S., 25- to-34-year-olds were 44% more likely to access mobile media than the average mobile user, while those ages 18 to 24 were 39% more likely to do so. In Europe, 18- to-24-year-olds were the most avid age group -- 54% more likely to be mobile media consumers -- followed by the 25 to 34 segment, at 35%.

There was also a wider gender gap among mobile media audiences in the U.S. and Europe. Female users in the U.S were 9% less likely to be mobile media mavens, while females in Europe were 16% less likely. The broader and more balanced audience in Japan underscores its status as a more mature mobile market and indicates where the U.S. and Europe could be headed with the spread of smartphones and more high-speed wireless networks.