The usage of social media around the world is ever-increasing. It’s without a doubt one of the most popular online activities that users engage in. Social media statistics from 2019 show that there are 3.2 billion social media users worldwide, and this number is only growing. That equates to about 42% of the current population.
Facebook and YouTube dominate this landscape, as notable majorities of U.S. adults use each of these sites. At the same time, younger Americans (especially those ages 18 to 24) stand out for embracing a variety of platforms and using them frequently. Some 78% of 18- to 24-year-olds use Snapchat, and a sizeable majority of these users (71%) visit the platform multiple times per day. Similarly, 71% of Americans in this age group now use Instagram and close to half (45%) are Twitter users. Social media usage has been broken down by Emarketer and the results by generation are interesting, to say the least. To break down it down, 90.4% of Millennials, 77.5% of Generation X, and 48.2% of Baby Boomers are active social media users.
Facebook has been shaping the social media landscape since its launch and is continually evolving to meet its user’s needs. With over 2.32 billion active monthly users, Facebook remains the most widely used social media platform. Active users are those that have logged into Facebook during the last 30 days. Roughly two-thirds of U.S. adults (68%) now report that they are Facebook users (Pewinternet, 2018). Interestingly, Facebook was also the first ever social network to surpass the one billion active user mark, reaching this milestone in the third quarter of 2012.
This social media statistic uncovers that an average of 2 hours and 22 minutes are spent per day per person on social networks and messaging (Globalwebindex, 2018). As social media is becoming more integrated into our daily lives, it unveils countless opportunities for businesses who are looking to reach out to their audience through social media marketing. Brands are continuing to include social media in their marketing strategy – and for all the right reasons. Whether it’s influencer marketing or story ads, they’re trying it all. Social media allows brands to access cost-effective marketing, interact with their audience, and build brand loyalty. But it’s difficult to measure the exact social media impact, as every social media platform measures activity differently.
The demand for mobile-friendly content across social media is rapidly increasing, and justifiably so. 91% of all social media users access social channels via mobile devices. Likewise, almost 80% of total time spent on social media sites occurs on mobile platforms (Lyfemarketing, 2018). Smartphones and social media are evolving side by side, and your brand should make sure to keep up. Mobile friendly interfaces are the way forward, and if you’re marketing online you need to make sure that your content and layout is optimized for mobile. And why not? People take their smartphones everywhere with them. If you want to be accessible, you have to keep mobile in mind.
As you can see from these social media marketing statistics, different platforms can serve different purposes. You’ll have to be the judge of which social media platform contains your target audience which you want to market toward, and this could help shape your social media marketing plan. Use these social media stats to get better insights into the world of social media, and how you can maximize your results using these tools.
2 billion social media users worldwide. Facebook is the most popular social media platform. 90.4% of Millennials, 77.5% of Generation X, and 48.2% of Baby Boomers are active social media users. Users spend an average of 2 hours and 22 minutes per day on social networks and messaging. 73% of marketers believe that social media marketing has been “somewhat effective” or “very effective” for their business. 54% of social browsers use social media to research products. 71% of consumers who have had a positive experience with a brand on social media are likely to recommend the brand to friends and family. 49% of consumers depend on influencer recommendations on social media. 500 million daily active Instagram stories are uploaded worldwide. 91% of all social media users access social channels via mobile devices.