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The poll, conducted amongst 5 000 of MXit's 13 million-plus global users, revealed that 25% of 15 to 24 year old youths would choose Nelson Mandela as their top person to chat to in a mobile social network environment, while US president Barack Obama came in at a close second with 17% of the votes.
International singing sensation Lady Gaga emerged the clear leader in the entertainment stakes, with 23% of users saying that they would love to have her as a "friend" and chat to her in a mobile phone chat room.
"The survey illuminated some very interesting mobile chat behavioral patterns," says Juan du Toit, MXit's international marketing manager. "Respected political figures like Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama seem to have struck the right chord with teenagers. These figures are increasingly being seen as 'cool'. While most teens would prefer to have Madiba (Nelson Mandela) as a chat buddy, about 18% said they would love to have Miley Cirus in their list of contacts while only 17% think it's cool to have their best friend as part of their contacts."
About MXit
MXit is a free instant messaging program for both mobile phones and PCs. It allows members to chat to other MXit users anywhere in the world. It also allows users to send text messages to and from mobile phones and PCs using GPRS or 3G instead of using standard SMS technology, which is expensive.
The social networking element of the business is the cornerstone of its growth. MXit is a new generation company that boasts 13 million members and is growing by 18 000 users per day. It is in constant evolution to match the needs of its users and is set on becoming one of the biggest instant messaging mobile networks in the world and the preferred mobile social network for communicating with young people in Africa and globally.
The company introduced mobile messaging to South Africa. It started as a mobile game developer and evolved into a mobile instant messaging company, allowing its users to send messages at a fraction of the cost of traditional SMS.
To download MXit: Open your mobile browser, type in www.mxit.com/wap and simply follow the prompts.
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