The rapid growth of social networking in Malaysia, which is the most popular online activity, will result in an increased awareness for the need to build "walls" within existing networks, says Yahoo.

According to the Yahoo!-Synovate Net Index 2011 study, the walls would be built to control information exchanges and ensure conversations remain rich and engaging (one-to-few).

The 2011 second consecutive study on "Internet Trends, Digital Development and Online Behaviour in Malaysia" was conducted between January and March.

The Yahoo! Net Index study is also the first internet media study of urban Internet users in selected countries across Southeast Asia.

The enormous appetite of Malaysians for social networking could accelerate the emergence of "selective socialisation", such as limiting their personal information, keep strict privacy settings and being specific as to who they choose to connect with.

The study showcased Malaysia leading in social networking across South-East Asia, accounting for 90 percent, a 29 percent increase since 2010.

However, email (87 percent) and instant messenger (58 percent) usage are also on the increase, with solid growth since last year.

Other key interest of Malaysians are online searches (89 percent) and use of online portals (80 percent), which also rank among the highest.

Yahoo! Malaysia Country Ambassador, Jon-Tjin Kee said the study also showed that online deal aggregation and group buying holds significant potential for rapid growth.

"User education and the comfort of paying online will dictate the rate of growth.

"Thus, this provides a fertile environment for e-commerce to grow rapidly in Malaysia, going forward," he said.

- Bernama