Statistics

Social Media Statistics

Dmytro Tsybuliak

LinkedIn

June 11, 2022

4.2

4.20 B of people actively use social networks

53.6

53.6% of the world's population use social networks

98

98% of users use social networks via phone

2.85

2.85 B users have Facebook, the most popular social network in the world

2.25

2 h 25 m on average users spend on social networks

40.8

40.8% of traffic on the Internet is created by bots

The world doesn't stand still, new social networks are entering the market, and the old giants are constantly updating their features and tools.

In this article, we have gathered the most important basic statistics that really matter in 2021 for successful social networking. We've analyzed the major trends in social media marketing, selected the most important facts, added stats, and are ready to share our insights with you.

CHAPTER 1

The First Social Network

The first social networking resource, the American portal Classmates.com, was launched in 1995.

According to various studies, more than 50% of the world's population in general and 95% of today's youth in particular cannot imagine their life without communication in social networks. These web resources have firmly taken their niche in the daily lives of billions of people, easily and quickly satisfying the most natural social need of any sentient being - the need to communicate. But what was the very first social network in the world?

There are two opinions about what kind of web project we should consider to be the first social network. Supporters of both versions are right in their own way because both of these sites are, to some extent, prototypes of modern social networks.

And the first version says that the very first social networking resource is the American portal Classmates.com. The project was launched in 1995 by Randy Conrads and gave everyone the opportunity to find their classmates, and coworkers.

Nevertheless, Classmates cannot be considered the first social network in the modern sense because originally, the site did not provide the possibility of creating personal profiles but simply gave access to the lists of those who studied at a certain educational institution.

Proponents of the second version assume that the first social network in the modern sense is SixDegrees.com, created by Andrew Weinreich in 1997. This project initially provided users with the opportunity to both create personal profiles and lists of their friends. Later, in 1998, the project team implemented a search function by pages, which made it much easier to find old acquaintances and add new ones.

Unfortunately, SixDegrees.com did not survive to this day and was closed in 2001. According to its creator, the capabilities of this social network were far ahead of their time because, at that time, too few Americans had more or less stable access to the Internet.

However, Classmates.com still exists and unites more than 50 million users from the United States, Canada, France, Sweden, Germany, and Austria.

CHAPTER 2

Key Internet Statistics in 2021

There are now 4.20 billion social media users worldwide.

Here are the key statistics and trends for the Digital 2021 report:

  • Global population: As of early 2021, the world population was 7.83 billion. According to the UN, that number is now growing at a rate of 1% per year. This means that the global population has increased by more than 80 million people since the beginning of 2020.
  • Mobile devices: Today, 5.22 billion people - 66.6% of the world's population - use a cell phone. Since January 2020, the number of unique mobile users has increased by 1.8% (93 million), while the total number of mobile connections increased by 72 million (0.9%) to 8.02 billion by the beginning of 2021.
  • Internet: In January 2021, 4.66 billion people worldwide use the Internet. This figure increased by 316 million (7.3%) over the previous year. Internet penetration now stands at 59.5%. However, COVID-19 significantly influenced the collection of data on the number of Internet users, so the actual figures may be higher.
  • Social Media: There are now 4.20 billion social media users worldwide. In the last 12 months, this figure has grown by 490 million, which is an increase of more than 13% year on year. Social media is used by 53.6% of the world's population in 2021.

CHAPTER 3

Social Networking Audience Statistics

The number of users of social networks increased by more than 13% over the past year.

The number of social network users has increased by more than 13% in the last year. By the beginning of 2021, almost half a billion new users had registered on social networks. On average, more than 1.3 million new accounts were created every day, which is approximately 15.5 new users per second.



The main statistic regarding social media usage is shown below:

  • Total users: 4,20 B;
  • Percentage of world population who use social media: 53.6%;
  • Percentage of new users: 13.2%;
  • Number of new users: 490 M;
  • Users who use social networks via phone: 4.15 B;
  • Percentage of users who use social networks via phone: 98.8%.


Increase in the Number of Users of Social Networks



According to data presented in the annual Digital 2021 report, the growth of social media users from 2016 to 2021 was:



2,31B

2016

2,79 B

2017

3,20 B

2018

3,46 B

2019

3,71B

2020

4,20 B

2021



The Number of Active Users of Social Networks: by Region



If we relate the number of active users to the total population of these regions, we get these figures:

Northern Europe

79%

Western Europe

79%

Northern America

74%

Southern America

72%

Southern Europe

72%

Central America

71%

South-Eastern Asia

69%

Eastern Asia

66%

Eastern Europe

65%

Oceania

64%

Western Asia

60%

Caribbean

51%

Northern Africa

45%

Southern Africa

41%

Southern Asia

31%

Western Africa

16%

Eastern Africa

10%

Middle Africa

8%

The Number of Active Users of Social Networks: by Country



If we relate the number of active users to the total population of these countries, we get the following figures:

Countries with the Highest Number of Social Media Users to the Population

99%

U.A.E.

89,3%

South Korea

88,1%

Taiwan

88%

Netherlands

86%

Malaysia

Сountries with the Lowest Number of Social Network Users to the Population

41.9%

South Africa

32,3%

India

26.1%

Ghana

20.0%

Kenya

15.8%

Nigeria

Countries with the Greatest Growth in the Number of Social Network Users



China

+12,9% (110M)

India

+21,2% (78M)

Philippines

+21,9% (16M)

Mexico

+12,4% (11M)

Brazil

+7,1% (10M)

CHAPTER 4

Social Media Users Activity

  • 98% of social media users visit one of them at least once a month;
  • 2 hours and 25 minutes on average are spent by users on social networks;
  • 8.4 is the average number of social media accounts that 1 user has;
  • 40.4% of people use social networks for work.

CHAPTER 5

Time Spent on Social Networks

The average user spends 2 hours and 25 minutes on social media every day.

The average social media user now spends 2 hours and 25 minutes each day on these platforms, which is about one day a week minus time for sleep. That could be interacting with brands, mindlessly scrolling, watching YouTube videos. Millennials spend about 2 hours and 40 minutes a day on social media. Generation Z spends 2 hours and 55 minutes. This time has been growing all the time. By comparison, in 2012, users spent an average of only 1.5 hours on social media.

It's also important to understand how their time is distributed:

  • Users spend an average of 4.9 minutes per each session on TikTok, averaging 8 sessions per day;
  • On Facebook, users spend an average of 4.7 minutes per session, and on Instagram, 3.1 minutes per session;
  • Snapchat users spend an average of 1.6 minutes per session online.


Daily time spent on social networking from 2012 to 2019 (in minutes)

90

2012

95

2013

104

2014

111

2015

128

2016

134

2017

142

2018

144

2019



Also, according to WeAreSocial, about 40.4% of people use social network chats to communicate with their colleagues.



The Most Active Users of Social Networks: by Time Online

4 h 15 m

Philippines

3 h 45 m

Colombia

3 h 42 m

Kenya

3 h 42 m

Brazil

3 h 41 m

Nigeria

The most Inactive Users of Social Networks: by Time Online

1 h 24 m

Germany

1 h 24 m

Netherlands

1 h 22 m

Austria

1 h 8 m

South Korea

51 m

Japan



At the same time, women of all ages, on average, spend more time on social networks than men.



Daily time spent using Social Media

03:14

FEMALE

02:39

MALE

16-24 years old

02:45

FEMALE

02:29

MALE

25-34 years old

02:20

FEMALE

02:14

MALE

35-44 years old

02:01

FEMALE

1:47

MALE

45-54 years old

1:35

FEMALE

01:21

MALE

55-64 years old




Growth in the amount of time spent on social networks by the average user:


1 h 51 m

2015

2 h 8 m

2016

2h 15 m

2017

2 h 22 m

2018

2 h 25 m

2019

2 h 25 m

2020

CHAPTER 6

Bot Traffic on Social Networks

About 40.8% of Internet traffic is generated by bots.

According to data provided by Imperva, about a quarter of Internet traffic is bad bot activity. The number of such bots has increased by 6.2% since last year.



Bad Bot VS Good Bot VS Human Traffic

69,2% Human

25,6% Bad Bots

15, 2% Good bots



57.1% of bad bots are able to mimic human behavior, generate random IP addresses, and so on. Attacks by such bots target the same region they originate from. The United States, China, and the United Kingdom top the list of countries from which most of the "bad bots" traffic comes and where most of the attacks are aimed.

On social networks, bots can spread aggressive, misleading information. Also, bots often post various links to other unverified or dangerous sources.

CHAPTER 7

Social Media User Statistics

84% of Americans ages 18 to 29 use social media.

Why People Use Social Media



The Digital 2021 report names the top reasons for using social media, among them:

To learn about the world situation and news

36,5%

To watch entertainment content

35%

To be occupied with smth in their free time

34,4%

Interact with friends

33%

Post photos

27,9%

Find brands and buy their products

27,5%



Who Uses Social Networks



For the year 2021, PewResearch shares the data given below.

Percentage of Americans who claim to use at least one social network (by age):


84%

18-29 y

81%

30-49 y

73%

50-64 y

45%

65+ y



Percentage of Americans who say they use at least one social network (by gender)

Male: 66%

Female: 78%



Percentage of Americans who say they use at least one social network (by income per year)

69%

Less than $30K

76%

$30K - $49.9K

65%

$50K - $74,9K

78%

$75K and more



Percentage of Americans who say they use at least one social network (by education level)

High School

64%

College graduate

77%



Percentage of Americans who say they use at least one social network (by area of residence)

Urban

76%

Suburban

71%

Rural

66%

CHAPTER 8

Top Most Popular Social Networks

The most popular social network in the world, Facebook, has about 2.85 B users.

For many years now, the most popular social network in the world has been Facebook. As of January 2021, it had more than 2.8 billion users.

YouTube has remained in second place for several years with more than 2 billion users.

Next are the messengers WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, as well as Instagram. TikTok is seventh, and Twitter is sixteenth.

Don't look for Clubhouse, which was so hotly discussed recently. Its audience is about 10 million users, and it is not yet trending.

Statista has presented the list of the most popular social networks worldwide (by the number of active users).

Facebook

2.85 B

YouTube

2.291 B

WhatsApp

2.0 B

Facebook Messenger

1.3 B

Instagram

1.221 B

Facebook Statistics

Facebook is the largest online social networking platform. And its popularity has continued to grow strongly, as has its base of active users since its humble beginnings in a Harvard dorm room.

Although many people have publicly stated that they will delete their Facebook accounts for privacy reasons, the reality is that Facebook is still the dominant social network. Don't discount this platform, even if its organic reach has declined. It has been in the lead for more than a decade.


  • DAU: 1.73 billion users;
  • MAU: 2.8 billion users;
  • About 5% (130 million) of the 2.6 billion MAUs are bots;
  • India has the most Facebook users - more than 260 million, followed by the United States (180 million), Indonesia (130 million), Brazil (120 million), and Mexico (84 million);
  • 2.18 billion Facebook users can be reached by advertising. That's 36% of all people in the world (who are older than 13 years old);
  • 56% of Facebook users are men; 44% are women;
  • 53% of Generation Z visit Facebook daily (3rd place after YouTube and Instagram);
  • 67% of Millennials visit Facebook daily (2nd place after YouTube);
  • About 50% of Facebook users speak English;
  • The average Facebook user clicks on about 11 ads a month (Hootsuite).


YouTube Statistics


74% of American adults use YouTube, the second most popular social network in the world.

YouTube is a video hosting service that is considered to be a social networking site. It is the second most popular resource in this top list.

  • MAU: 2 billion (not including people who aren't logged in);
  • YouTube is the 2nd most visited site;
  • 54% of YouTube users are male, 46% are female;
  • 74% of American adults use YouTube;
  • 1 billion hours of video are viewed on YouTube daily;
  • 70% of videos on YouTube are viewed on mobile devices;
  • 70% of viewers made a purchase from a brand after seeing it on YouTube;
  • YouTube ads that are targeted to interested users in a topic give 100% more growth than those that are targeted by demographic criteria only. (Hootsuite).


Instagram Statistics


Instagram ads reach 20% of all users in the world.

Instagram is one of the most popular social networks and one of the most interesting for marketers.

  • MAU 1.2 billion users;
  • Instagram ads reach 20% of all users in the world over the age of 13;
  • 41% of Americans have an Instagram account;
  • 49.2% of Instagram users are male; 50.8% are female;
  • 63% of Instagram users are between the ages of 18 and 34;
  • Globally, the US, India (140 million each), Brazil (99 million), Indonesia (85 million) and Russia (56 million) have the largest Instagram audience;
  • The average user spends 29.6 minutes a day on Instagram;
  • 55% of shoppers on Instagram bought a product after seeing it advertised by an Influencer (Hootsuite).


Twitter Statistics


Twitter has about 330 million active users.

Although Twitter is a very popular and widely known social network, it is not even in the top 10 in terms of number of users.

  • MAU: 330 million users;
  • 66% are male, 34% are female;
  • Age of users:
  • The social network is most popular in America, Japan, and the United Kingdom;
  • This social network concentrates business audiences and celebrities, so it is suitable for promoting consulting agencies, business coaches, news agencies, and personal brands.


LinkedIn Statistics


38% of LinkedIn users are between the ages of 25-34.

Today, LinkedIn is an advanced platform that provides a convenient environment for connecting potential employees and employers. Its global reach allows it to target human resources and jobs around the world.

  • MAU: 303 million users,
  • 57% of LinkedIn users are male, 43% - female;
  • Age of users:
  • The social network is focused on establishing business contacts, so it is optimally suited for the B2B segment and personnel search.

CHAPTER 9

Social Media Marketing Statistics

54% of teens use social media to find products and brands.

Social media marketing is a powerful way to increase brand awareness, build a loyal follower base, attract new customers, and increase sales through social media.

Social media promotion works equally effectively for small companies and startups as it does for large businesses (both B2C and B2B companies).

Below, we'll take a look at some basic statistics regarding social media marketing.

  1. 54% of people use social networks to search for products (GlobalWebIndex).

    Social media users want to discover new products, and brands help them make purchasing decisions. This is especially evident on Pinterest and Instagram. 83% of Instagram users conduct brand search. A total of 87% of survey participants said they took an action, such as making a purchase on the platform, after seeing relevant information.

  2. 54% of all social media users want to see more video content.

    Users say they want more video:

    • Instagram videos have 21% more interactions than images, and 19% more interactions than posts with multiple images;
    • 81% of brands prefer video marketing on Facebook;
    • Videos attract the most clicks of all media options in Facebook ads.
  3. 71% of those who have had a positive experience with a brand on social media would recommend it to others.

    The reality is that users expect a quick response to their request on social media. 79% of consumers want brands to respond to their inquiries within one business day. The faster they get a response or consultation, the better.

  4. Facebook use among teens is declining, but overall social media use remains flat.

    A growing number of teen users are gradually leaving Facebook. Since 2015, there has been a drop from 71% to 67%.

    On the other hand, other platforms are seeing rapid growth in teen engagement. Brands, trying to reach this audience, need to take note by investing more in platforms like Instagram and TikTok.

  5. 49% of consumers follow influencer recommendations.

    Influencers are just as important on social media as ever. While they are relevant across all platforms, Instagram is the most valuable platform for bloggers. 98% of marketers said Instagram was the most effective platform for influencer marketing. Almost 90% of all influencer campaigns include Instagram as part of the marketing mix.

  6. 91% of users access social media using mobile devices.

    Nearly 80% of total time spent on social media is on mobile platforms, often through mobile apps. Mobile devices accounted for more than 92% of Facebook's ad revenue in the second quarter of 2020, and YouTube reaches more adults from mobile devices alone than any television network.

  7. According to Oberlo, 73% of marketers are confident that social media advertising met their expectations and was effective.

    According to InfluencerMarketingHub, the average earned media value per dollar spent is now about $5.78. 91% of survey participants believe influencer marketing is an effective form of marketing.

    And here are the top reasons why users may unsubscribe from brands' social media pages. These could be poor product quality (49%), poor customer service (49%), quality content (45%), and over advertising (45%).

CHAPTER 10

Negative Aspects of Social Networking

About 10% of social media users in America may suffer from social media addiction.

Because social media has become widely available relatively recently in the context of history, there is not much research that has examined the long-term effects of social media use. But we have been able to gather comprehensive information regarding this issue and are ready to present it to you.

Existing surveys confirm the link between active use of social media and depression, anxiety, loneliness, and so on.

A study from the University of Pennsylvania found that frequent use of social media increases feelings of loneliness and makes users feel isolated from the outside world.

Also, according to Etactics, among teens who spend more than 3 hours a day online, 13% report depression and 32% report anxiety.

Cyberbullying


More than 59% of U.S. high school students say they have experienced cyberbullying. It could have been negative offensive comments, spreading false defamatory information, or even harassment.

%of U.S. teens who say they have experienced … online

Any type of cyber-bullying

76%

Offensive name-calling

35%

Spreading of false rumors

34,4%

Receiving explicit images they didn’t ask for

33%

Constant asking of where they are

27,9%

Physical threats

27,5%

Having explicit images of them shared without their consent

27,5%



Social Media Addiction

According to Etactics, about 10% of social media users in America may suffer from social media addiction.

People are freer to express themselves both positively and negatively online than they are in real life. Every time people receive positive comments and compliments on social media, dopamine production is stimulated. This plays a major role in addiction occurrence.

94% of users worry when their phone is not in their hands or is far away, and 80% of them do not like it when someone else picks up their phone.

Etactics claims that reducing social media use significantly reduces anxiety, sleep problems, and feelings of isolation after as little as three weeks.