In today’s digitized fast-paced world, who doesn’t use social media? Due to the fact that billions of people use various social media platforms worldwide, social media has ingrained itself into every aspect of our life.
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Rise in the number of users on social media platforms
The popularity of social media has risen dramatically in recent years. From 4.26 billion active users in 2021 to 4.80 billion users in 2023, the global active social media user base has witnessed remarkable growth. You would be surprised to know that the figure is set to hit at least six billion by 2027.
With 59.9% of the global population as social media users, the US boasts an impressive 70% of its population actively participating on these platforms. Adding on to your surprises, it has experienced significantly steady growth between 2019 and 2022 by 3.1% every year.
The pandemic, which locked us within our homes, increased the global user base by 10.5% in July 2020 in comparison to that in July 2019.
Now, are you wondering about which are the most popularly used social media platforms? Well, Facebook, with 2.99 billion active users, and LinkedIn, with 2 billion active users, win this race. The figures clearly state the overwhelming spread of social media in recent times.
Top social media users by country in 2023
Did you know that 150 million new users have joined social media within the last year? If we analyze the statistics region-wise, East Asia has the highest number of social media users, with the statistics hitting 1.2 billion. It’s followed by South Africa and Southeast Asia, which have 847.14 and 506.3 million users.
Now, analyzing the figures according to country, China tops the list. However, due to internet restrictions and the popularity of local platforms like WeChat and Weibo, precise user figures remain elusive.
The second country on the list is India, with the largest population in the world. It has over 1.3 billion users. We already discussed how the United States has 70% of its population as social media users.
Following up next comes Indonesia, which also enjoys a vibrant social media community, actively engaging with Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Meanwhile, Brazil showcases a noteworthy presence on WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram.
However, these figures are subject to fluctuations over time. It’s because social media preferences and behaviors can diverge across countries.
Most used social platforms in 2023
What are the most popularly used social media platforms? The old yet classic Facebook still stands as the rank holder with about 3 billion active monthly users. Yes, it’s the largest and most popular social media platform.
Taking the lead comes YouTube, which is well known for its video content and is popular as the second-largest social media platform. With Facebook topping the list, can we miss Instagram and Whatsapp? Much similar to Facebook, these visually oriented messaging platforms by Meta has about two billion active users.
Do you remember the short-form video app named Tiktok? It became popular within quite a short span of time and has about 1.09 billion active global users. Now owned by Elon Musk, Twitter is a great platform for real-time updates and communication. Did you know that about 30% of US adults use Twitter?
All these apps aren’t very appropriate for professional purposes. This is where LinkedIn comes into the picture. This professional networking platform has about 187 million active users. It’s the perfect place for professionals to connect with like-minded people and recruiters, share their knowledge and experience, and win jobs.
It’s important to note that the popularity of social media platforms can vary by region and demographic. These rankings are based on factors such as user base, relevance to brands and creators, and growth trends.
Read also: Who are the most followed world leaders on TikTok? The ranking
Social media users and their behavior according to age
It’s pretty much obvious that social media users and their behavior towards various platforms vary according to their age & the generation they belong to.
Young adults, who are typically between 18-29 years, are the most active users. 84% of the total users belong to this age group, with their favorite platforms being Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok.
Moving on to young adults, whose age generally falls between 30-49 years, mostly use social media for news and other important updates. On the contrary, older adults, with ages ranging between 50-64 years, have 73% of their population as users.
However, unlike the young adults, they prefer Facebook and Instagram and are not a big fan of Snapchat and Tiktok. Adults who are over 65 years of age rarely use social media sites. Thus, social media habits diverge remarkably based on age, leading to distinct patterns in platform preferences.
Read more: Social media, what are the positive and negative effects they have on people
