Australia has low record in Wave 3 report

This according to the Universal McCann Report Wave 3 report (March 2008) that tracks social media growth. The following are the snapshots it gave in so far as blogging, social networking, and social media growth in Australia is concern:

• There are 5.1 million active Internet users
  
  
• 62% or 3.2 million read blogs
• 55% in 2007 (June)
  
• 21% in 2006 (September)
  
  
• 24.6% or 1.3 million subscribed to an RSS feed.
  
  
• 29% or 1.38 million have started their own blogs
• 17.9% in 2007 (June)
• 18.3% in 2006 (September)
  
  
• 50.2% or 2.6 million created a profile on a new social network.
  
  
• 47.4% or 2.4 million uploaded photos in a photo sharing website.
  
  
• 28.2% or 1.5 million have uploaded videos on a video sharing website.
  
  
• 77% or 4 million watch video clips online.
• 57.5% in 2007 (June)
• 25.2% in 2006 (September)
  
  
• 40.2% or 2.1 million have downloaded a podcast
• 21.7% in 2007 (June)
• 14.4% in 2006 (September)

I've done a similar chart for the Philippines and the result surprised me. Right from the start, I always thought Australia will have much higher figures. I can't help but wonder if there's a digital divide, lack of interest to encourage new players, or the restrictions being imposed on Internet use has somehow affected the adoption of social media.

This I say knowing also that there are prominent social networking and blogging professionals / experts in Australia who get to speak in various conferences, here and abroad, promoting its use, adoption, and growth. Suddenly, it just all seems to be hype. Oh well..

Why is it low? Maybe I'll realize the answer soon enough.