Facebook's worldwide usage overtakes MySpace

During the same period, 114.6 million visitors used News Corporation-owned MySpace, according to figures from ComScore,

The figures show rapid growth during the month for Facebook and is 162% above the figure for May last year. During the same period,  traffic to MySpace was up by just 5%.

Rupert Murdoch, chairman of News Corporation,  has been reported in the press as hitting back at the findings by describing Facebook as a directory,  not a social network. He said that the site had "done a great job of being flavour of the month in the last six months of last year".

Facebook is a private company and does not publish financial figures, but, according to a report in the Financial Times, people close to Facebook have said that it made $150m in sales last year, with that figure expected to grow to between $300m and $350m this year.

MySpace has hit back at the growing popularity of Facebook by focusing more on being an entertainment destination, particularly for those interested in music, and has also started to open the site to developers. It is updating its look to be more streamlined.