If social media is a country, its population is way bigger than India and China. The total number of social media account holders in the country has crossed the 2-billion mark in January. And, on average each user is spending 145 minutes a day on different social platforms, according to the International Telecom Union (ITU).

In its latest report on global ICT regulatory developments, Trends in Telecommunication Reform 2015, ITU throws light on the fast-evolving ICT landscape.

“With active social media users spending an average of nearly two hours 25 minutes per day on social platforms, the economic impact of the time spent on social media has not been lost on marketers and advertisers,” it said in the report.

Privacy at risk It, however, pointed out at the risk of control of one’s privacy. “Consumers are presented with new opportunities brought about by the greater choice of devices, online services and applications – but are also more at risk of losing control of their privacy and personal information,” it felt.

“There are many ways in which ICTs can make the world a better place. In a digital world, creating the conditions for a data-driven economy to flourish is a must, so getting the regulatory environment right is absolutely vital,” Houlin Zhao, ITU Secretary-General, said in a statement here.

To assist ICT regulators and policy makers, ITU developed the ICT Regulatory Tracker, a new evidence-based analytical tool to help pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses of regulatory interven- tions.

About one billion different kinds of wireless Internet of Things (IoT) devices are expected to be shipped in 2015, up 60 per cent from 2014 figures.

This would go up to 2.8 billion connected devices by this year-end.

The market for IoT is expected to grow to $1.7 trillion by 2019 to become the largest device market worldwide.

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