This is what happens when you spend too much time online promoting your social network

Datamonitor forecasts that the number of social network users in Europe will more than double to 107.4 million in 2012, up from 41.7 million in 2007.

The UK is expected to show the strongest growth in social networking over the next five years, rising from 9.6 million users in 2007 to 27.1 million in 2012.

That growth will be fueled by users spending more time online, while also enjoying the convenience of socializing from home and the freedom of expression provided on social networks.

“The wealth of information stored on online social networks provides many potential benefits for marketers,” said Matthew Taylor, analyst at Datamonitor.

“This potential has been recognized for a while, but many companies remain unsure regarding the best way to approach this relatively new media. As a result, the success of campaigns through social media has so far been mixed.”

Via Datamonitor via eMarketer