ENGLEWOOD, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The United States has been revealed as Mexico’s best friend in cyberspace, according to a unique new league table released by Western Union, one of the world’s most globally connected brands.
The league table has been created using data from Western Union’s Your World Facebook application, which visually depicts each user’s Facebook connections around the globe and gives them a score for how globally connected they are.
Your World has enjoyed more than 250,000 hits worldwide since its launch in July this year, as individual users compete in the Network 160 Challenge: a hunt for the world’s most globally networked person on Facebook. On October 18, Western Union will announce the winner, and reveal an opportunity for them to use their global network as a force for good.
With so much aggregate data being generated by Your World, Western Union has been able to build a bird’s eye view of how different countries connect to one another on Facebook. The data reveals Mexico’s top ten best friends in cyberspace: those countries where Mexico Facebook users have the most Facebook connections.
The results show how social media is shrinking the world we live in – with some of Mexico’s closest friends in cyberspace based thousands of miles away in the real world:
1. United States
2. United Kingdom
3. Spain
4. Canada
5. Brazil
6. Philippines
7. Argentina
8. Colombia
9. India
10. Germany
Western Union launched the Your World application and associated Network 160 Challenge in July this year to mark its 160th Anniversary and celebrate its unique status as one of the world’s most globally networked brands. With over 424,000 Western Union Agent locations in 200 countries and territories, Western Union has a great physical presence.
“We’re delighted that so many consumers have been enjoying Your World,” Western Union President and CEO Hikmet Ersek said. “It not only gives them a fun way to see their global network, but as a business provides us with a fascinating bird’s eye view of how countries around the world connect to one another. Western Union has been privileged to connect people across the globe for more than 160 years, so this kind of insight is invaluable.”
He added, “On October 18 we will announce the winner of the Network 160 Challenge – the Your World user who has the most global connections. We will be inviting him or her to join us to use his or her network as a force for good. So I would urge anyone who has not yet tried out the application to give it a go.”
To take part in the Network 160 Challenge, visit www.westernunionworld.com/yourworld before Oct. 16, 2011 and type in your Facebook log-in details.
About Western Union
The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is a leader in global payment services. Together with its Vigo, Orlandi Valuta, Pago Facil and Western Union Business Solutions branded payment services, Western Union provides consumers and businesses with fast, reliable and convenient ways to send and receive money around the world, to send payments and to purchase money orders. The Western Union, Vigo and Orlandi Valuta branded services are offered through a combined network of approximately 470,000 Agent locations in 200 countries and territories. In 2010, The Western Union Company completed 214 million consumer-to-consumer transactions worldwide, moving $76 billion of principal between consumers, and 405 million business payments. For more information, visit www.westernunion.com.
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