In the age of social networking and the interactive Internet (Web 2.0), a new form of freedom of choice is the ability to select any social network log-in id to register with websites. Thus, a new social network popularity metric is born.

By viewing statistics data of which log-in ID’s are used most, one can very well judge which social networks are more popular. This very factor is basis of an InfoGraphic created by gigya.com.

Hands down this popularity contest is won by Facebook. Google is the main runner up closely followed by Yahoo and Twitter. Most people (45%) prefer using their Facebook ID to sign up for websites. This percentage rises if the websites are entertainment related. Interestingly, on news websites, a larger majority (45%) sign up with Twitter IDs. Another anomaly is the diminishingly small percentage (3%) of LinkedIn ID usage on business websites.

Overall, we can say that as social networks are becoming more centralized, and their sign-in features are an effort to stake their claim over the web platform space.  Facebook and Google are heavy contenders in this area with the most influence.