Social media has become an inseparable part of our daily lives. For many people, every free second is a chance to scroll through their feed. From a tool for socializing, social media platforms have transformed into a way of existing.
To create the perfect content strategy and boost your business, you need to keep up with the latest social media statistics. If you track people’s behavior on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn, you might just be able to monetize it.
Below, we gathered the most intriguing facts and stats that will change the way you think about social media.
Fascinating Social Media Statistics
- At the beginning of 2020, 84% of internet users accessed at least one social media platform.
- As of July 2021, 4.48 billion people worldwide are social media users.
- A total of 72% of US adults used social media in February, 2021.
- Around 97.2% of US users access social media apps from a mobile device.
- The average daily social media usage equals 145 minutes.
- Less than 25% of American adults are active Twitter users.
- 40% of US adults have Instagram accounts.
- TikTok has over one billion monthly users.
- Approximately 69% of American adults use Facebook.
Social Media Statistics in 2022
Do you ever wonder how many people use social media daily?
Although we constantly hear about the skyrocketing usage of social media, we rarely think about the data behind these statements.
We gathered some key stats below to give you an insight.
1. 57% of the global population use social media as of July 2021.
(Source: DataReportal)
Recent data reveals a rapid increase in worldwide social media usage. The number of users is estimated at around 4.48 billion people. Social media stats suggest that this is a 9% increase since 2019.
2. The average daily time spent on social media in January 2021 was 145 minutes.
(Source: DataReportal)
It comes as no surprise that people spend over two hours a day on social media. Recent stats reveal the time spent on social networks differs for every country. The highest usage is recorded in the Philippines—255 minutes per day.
3. Over 97% of people in the Americas access social media through their mobile devices.
(Source: Statista)
Mobile phones are a preferred way for people to access social platforms in 2022. In fact, the number of people using mobile devices has doubled over the past five years. Recent stats about social media show that mobile access goes as high as 99.5% in Paraguay.
4. 84% of the internet users worldwide had at least one social media account in 2020.
(Source: BARE International)
The number of social media users increased by more than 9% from 2019 to 2020. This substantial growth can be partially explained by the pandemic situation and the convenience of online communication.
We should also keep in mind the ongoing global digitalization and the arising opportunities for the monetization of social media.
Social Media Usage Statistics
We are indeed in the midst of a social media expansion. But are there any types of demographic characteristics that shift the statistics about social media? How does usage differ by age or country, for example?
Let’s see.
5. Social media gained 520 million new users in the first half of 2021.
(Source: DataReportal)
Social networking statistics reveal that roughly 16.5 new users join social media every second. Additionally, more than 17 different platforms have over 300 million active accounts per month.
Note that LinkedIn isn’t in this list, as it doesn’t reveal the number of monthly users.
6. Facebook has over 2.7 billion monthly active users.
(Source: Sprout Social)
Facebook has the largest number of active users per month, followed by YouTube with two billion active accounts. Approximately 19.3% of the Facebook users are males between 25 and 34 years. The platform is one of the best places for advertising, as it’s used a lot by older individuals that are more likely to spend money.
7. The number of Millennials on Pinterest increased by 36% in 2021.
(Source: Sprout Social)
What’s more, social media statistics revealed a 50% growth in Pinterest usage among Gen Z. This group looks mainly for beauty and wardrobe inspiration and future development ideas.
Millennials, on the other hand, seek life skills, family-friendly advice, and tips on dealing with the pandemic.
8. Stats on social media usage reveal a 16.98% increase in Asia between 2019 and 2020.
(Source: Backlinko)
2022 user demographic statistics reveal that social media usage depends on factors like age or country of residence.
The leader is Asia, followed by Africa and South America with 14% and 8%, respectively. Interestingly, Europe comes fifth with only 4.32%.
9. Around 72% of US adults are active social media users.
(Source: Pew Research Center)
Are you wondering how many people in the US have social media accounts? The answer is seven in every ten Americans. This equals a total of 240 million people and is expected to grow even further.
10. Millennials form approximately 60% of LinkedIn’s audience.
(Source: Statista)
As of July 2021, the largest portion of LinkedIn users is between the ages of 25 and 34. Next come 19-24 year-olds comprising 19.6% and 35-54 with 17.5%. Only 2.9% of people over 55 use this social media.
This distribution is perhaps not that surprising. Since this social media’s niche is career development, it attracts mostly the tech-savvy generation that recently entered the workforce.
11. The average social media usage throughout a person’s lifespan is 5.7 years.
(Source: Backlinko)
According to recent social media stats, the average time spent on social media daily is 145 minutes. Now, imagine a user creates an account at 16 and keeps using it until the age of 70.
Simple math shows that they will spend 5.7 years of their life scrolling through their feed. Shocking, right?
12. TikTok users spend 21.5 hours monthly on the platform.
(Source: Sprout Social)
TikTok has recorded rapid growth in usage in the last two years. In 2019, the average user spent just over 12 hours per month on the platform. This number increased to 21 hours and 30 minutes in 2020.
Social Media Market Share
Which are the most popular social media platforms responsible for the rapid growth of overall usage?
Is Facebook the platform for older users?
Is TikTok just a temporary trend?
To understand the market and design the perfect look for a new product, researchers spend a lot of time gathering social networking stats.
Let’s see what the numbers reveal.
13. 69% of US adults use Facebook daily.
(Source: Pew Research Center)
Facebook is one of the largest social media platforms—70% of its US users access it every day. In comparison, 17% log into the platform weekly and only around 12% browse Facebook less frequently.
Considering these numbers, it comes as no surprise that Facebook holds an enormous portion of the global social media market share—72.19%.
14. 81% of US adults use YouTube daily.
(Source: Pew Research Center)YouTube is the second most popular social media in the US, right after Facebook. 54% of YouTube’s US users access the platform daily and 29%—weekly.
15. TikTok has more than one billion active users per month.
(Source: Wallaroo Media)
A new social media platform will appear in the digital world no matter how many there currently are. One of the latest examples is TikTok, which emerged back in 2016.
The platform is already available in 150 different countries. As of 2021, it is the fourth most famous social media—right after Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.
16. Children spend 80 minutes on TikTok every day.
(Source: The Verge)
Kids’ social media usage has tripled over the last two years. Children between the ages of four and fifteen spend 85 minutes watching YouTube videos daily.
TikTok has quickly made its way to the top of the charts of social media giants, with an average daily usage of 80 minutes.
17. Approximately 40% of US adults are Instagram users.
(Source: Pew Research Center)
Instagram is among the three most visited platforms worldwide, along with Facebook and YouTube. So, how many users are on Instagram daily?
As of February 2021, 40% of the American adult population regularly browses the feed of the platform. The company holds 3.99% of the market share of social media worldwide.
18. Less than 25% of US adults are on Twitter.
(Source: Backlinko)
Still, Twitter is ranked 16th among the most popular social media platforms. It holds around 8.85% of the market share of social media worldwide.
Gender demographics show that 68.1% of Twitter users are men. This is an unusually drastic difference when compared to, say, LinkedIn or Instagram.
19. Snapchat users access the platform 30 times a day on average.
(Source: Sprout Social)
Snapchat might not be at the top of the list of trendy social media apps, but it saw significant growth in the number of users in 2020.
It boasts over 260 million active accounts per month. The platform has the highest engagement rate among users aged between 13 and 34. What’s more, Snapchat users open the app at least 30 times on a daily basis.
20. Almost 80% of Pinterest users are female.
(Source: Sprout Social)
Most Pinterest users are women. This is one of the most drastic differences in gender demographics across social media platforms.
The predominantly female user base explains the most common searches on the platform—“cottagecore fashion,” “kitchen storage solutions,” and “fun couple activities.” The largest age group of users is between 30 and 49.
As of September 2021, the app holds 8.15% of the worldwide market share.
Social Media Trends
Content overload across social media apps leads to the need for an established marketing strategy. To be successful, this strategy has to follow the current social media trends so it can reach higher engagement.
Will traditional platforms keep performing well?
Will users spend more time on new social media platforms?
Is video content the new thing?
The answers to these questions might be bold predictions, but taking them into account could be crucial for the success of your business.
So, let’s dive into some fun facts about social media that could also be of great use.
21. Social media posts in the form of questions spike engagement.
(Source: EmpowerLA)
Posts on social media platforms that include keywords like “should,” “would,” “which,” etc., are more likely to capture user attention.
This trend might seem too simple to work, but it has proven effective over the years. However, the questions should be relevant and specific to provoke a comment or spark a discussion between users.
22. Social media share buttons are ineffective.
(Source: adQuadrant)
Sharing is caring, right? Well, not exactly. Recent research revealed that the percentage of people who use social media but never press the share button is as high as 99.8%.
An even more interesting finding is the tendency of users who access the platforms via desktop to share content more often than mobile users.
Wrap Up
It is evident how dependent we have become on social media.
Some of these stats might be shocking but social media is under our skin and isn’t going anywhere. Apart from entertainment, it serves other purposes and can be very beneficial to individuals and businesses.
If we follow social media statistics and trends closely, we can use them to create a successful content strategy.
Sources
Unaware that life beyond the internet exists, Nick is poking servers and control panels, playing with WordPress add-ons, and helping people get the hosting that suits them.
