The report by Fleishman-Hillard into the Internet’s influence in seven countries reveals a paradox when it comes to social media.

While more users are embracing social media, they are also concerned about sharing too much information.

The 2010 Digital Influence Index Study found that more than half (53%) of the study’s respondents thought they were revealing too much online.

Canadians were the most likely to express concerns about TMI. Yet, Canadians are also the most engaged with social media, mostly through Facebook.

More than two-thirds of consumers in Canada are on Facebook, compared to around half for the other countries in the survey.

There was also another paradox when it came to microblogging services such as Twitter.

The study found that Canadians were the most knowledgeable of microblogs. They were the most likely of the Western countries to have an account, but also the most likely to have an inactive account:

• 85% have heard of microblogging
• 18% have a microblog account
• 33% have yet to microblog
• 26% microblog less than once a month on average

And Canadians showed the lowest level of trust in companies that microblog, together with Americans and the British.

There is much more in the full report, which is available as a PDF download. Gillian Shaw has a good write-up in The Vancouver Sun.