A recent study conducted by the Interactive Advertising Bureau shows that users of social networking sites are annoyed by constant group and application requests Media Guardian reported.

The IAB's study reported that 31 percent of users of sites such as MySpace and Facebook express discontent with the onslaught of updates and appeals to join groups. These findings shed light on users' sensitivity to, and dislike of, networking sites being used for marketing purposes.

Out of all the participants in the study, only 5 percent said they had added a "friend" or profile that was brand-sponsored. Twelve percent of respondents expressed an unfavorable opinion of the monitoring of their activity by other users, Media Guardian reported.

Overall, 28 percent of people surveyed said they would add a new group if it offered "exclusive content," the report stated.

IAB senior marketing manager Amy Keane said that the study concluded that "respect for the user is just as important in social media, users will not respond to spam or irrelevant advertising."

The study also produced numbers reflecting the popularity of social networking sites in the UK, where 58 percent of all Internet users have a profile on a networking site, of which 14 percent have profiles on three or more sites, Media Guardian reported.