A global survey conducted in the fourth quarter of 2023 found that the main reason for using social media was to keep in touch with friends and family, with over 49 percent of social media users saying this was their main reason for using online networks. Overall, 38 percent of social media users said that filling spare time was their main reason for using social media platforms, whilst 34.3 percent of respondents said they used it to read news stories. One in five users were on social platforms for the reason of following celebrities and influencers. The most popular social network Facebook dominates the social media landscape. The world's most popular social media platform turned 20 in February 2024, and it continues to lead the way in terms of user numbers. As of January 2024, the social network had over three billion global users. YouTube, WhatsApp, and Instagram follow, but none of these well-known brands can surpass Facebook’s audience size. Moreover, as of the final quarter of 2023, there were almost four billion Meta product users. Ever-evolving social media usage The utilization of social media remains largely gratuitous; however, companies have been encouraging users to become paid subscribers to reduce dependence on advertising profits. Meta Verified entices users by offering a blue verification badge and proactive account protection, among other things. X (formerly Twitter), Snapchat, and Reddit also offer users the chance to upgrade their social media accounts for a monthly free.

The digital marketing tools market in Japan was valued at about 302 billion Japanese yen in 2023. Due to factors such as an increasing adoption at small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) for automation purposes, it was expected that the market would grow further and reach a value of 501.6 billion yen by 2027.

A survey conducted in the third quarter of 2023 revealed that over 68 percent of respondents in Indonesia had researched brands online before making a purchase. In comparison, around 14 percent of questioned Indonesian internet users clicked or tapped on a banner ad on a website in the past 30 days prior to the survey.

During a 2024 survey among marketers worldwide, around 86 percent reported using Facebook for marketing purposes. Instagram and LinkedIn followed, respectively mentioned by 79 and 65 percent of the respondents. The global social media marketing segment According to the same study, 59 percent of responding marketers intended to increase their organic use of YouTube for marketing purposes throughout that year. LinkedIn and Instagram followed with similar shares, rounding up the top three social media platforms attracting a planned growth in organic use among global marketers in 2024. Their main driver is increasing brand exposure and traffic, which led the ranking of benefits of social media marketing worldwide. Social media for B2B marketing Social media platform adoption rates among business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) marketers vary according to each subsegment's focus. While B2C professionals prioritize Facebook and Instagram – both run by Meta, Inc. – due to their popularity among online audiences, B2B marketers concentrate their endeavors on Microsoft-owned LinkedIn due to its goal to connect people and companies in a corporate context.

During a March 2023 survey among marketers worldwide, 53 percent of respondents claimed that the biggest issue with the technologies used in digital marketing is their high cost. Another 28 percent of marketers stated that these technologies are too complex to deploy, while 25 percent say there is a lack of integration across tools and technology.

It was calculated that the digital advertising spending worldwide amounted to 549.51 billion U.S. dollars in 2022. The source projected that by 2027, the spending would reach 870.85 billion dollars.

Advertising spending - additional information

Advertising can utilize almost any form of media to meet its needs. Media including print, television, radio, cinema, outdoor, mobile and digital have all been targeted by advertisers. Global advertising spending has been constantly increasing (with the exception of 2020) since 2010, and is forecast to round up to nearly 856 billion U.S. dollars in 2023. Due to advances in technology and consumer preferences, not all media are as heavily invested in as others. As of 2022, the internet was considered the most important medium for advertisers, accounting for 62 percent of total media ad spend in 2022. Internet expenditures are projected to record a growth of 8.4 percent in 2023.

Digital advertising spending worldwide – which includes both desktop and laptop computers as well as mobile devices – stood at an estimated 522.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2021. This figure is forecast to constantly increase in the coming years, reaching a total of 835.82 billion U.S. dollars by 2026. Mobile internet advertising is a heavily invested sub-sector of the digital advertising industry. Mobile internet advertising spending is forecast to increase from 276 billion U.S. dollars in 2020 to nearly 495 billion U.S. dollars in 2024. Following this pattern, mobile advertising spending in the U.S. is also forecast to grow in the coming years. Mobile ad spending in the U.S. is projected to gain nearly 25 billion U.S. dollars in 2023.

In 2023, display (banner and video) advertising attracted the highest investment among various digital marketing types in Germany, with 6.7 billion euros. Search engine marketing ranked second, with 5.8 billion. The five types of marketing presented in the data set together attracted approximately 16 billion euros.

According to the results of a survey conducted among marketing professionals worldwide in December 2023, 79 percent of respondents viewed social media as an extremely effective or very effective digital marketing channel. This was followed by 72 percent of respondents finding search very or extremely effective.

During a 2023 survey, 67 percent of responding marketers from across the world stated they often or sometimes used Facebook ads in their work. According to the results of this survey, Facebook was the most used ad platform. Instagram ranked second, with 52 percent of respondents saying they often or sometimes used ads on this platform.

During a 2024 survey among marketers worldwide, approximately 83 percent selected increased exposure as a benefit of social media marketing. Increased traffic followed, mentioned by 73 percent of the respondents, while 65 percent cited generated leads. The multibillion-dollar social media ad industry Between 2019 – the last year before the pandemic – and 2024, global social media advertising spending skyrocketed by 140 percent, surpassing an estimated 230 billion U.S. dollars in the latter year. That figure was forecast to increase by nearly 50 percent by the end of the decade, exceeding 345 billion dollars in 2029. As of 2024, the social media networks with the most monthly active users were Facebook, with over three billion, and YouTube, with more than 2.5 billion. Pros and cons of GenAI for social media marketing According to another 2024 survey, generative artificial intelligence's (GenAI) leading benefits for social media marketing according to professionals worldwide included increased efficiency and easier idea generation. The third place was a tie between increased content production and enhanced creativity. All those advantages were cited by between 33 and 38 percent of the interviewees. As for GenAI's top challenges for global social media marketing, maintaining authenticity and the value of human creativity ranked first, mentioned by 43 and 40 percent of the respondents, respectively. Another 35 percent deemed ensuring the content resonates as an obstacle.

During a 2023 survey carried out among advertisers at media agencies and brands, 49 percent of respondents stated that brand safety and suitability was their leading concern when it came to digital advertising. Being able to reach target audiences effectively at scale ranked first, mentioned with 53 percent of responding advertisers.

According to a survey among internet users conducted in the third quarter of 2023, nearly 54 percent of respondents in Taiwan researched brands online before making a purchase. Over 44 percent of survey participants visited a brand's website in the past 30 days.

During an early 2023 survey conducted among senior brand marketers from the United Kingdom, 94 percent stated they were already using artificial intelligence (AI) within their digital advertising. Additionally, 87 percent believed that AI was an important part of their marketing strategy.

During a survey published in November 2023, 25 percent of responding global brands stated they were planning to significantly increase their retail media budgets in 2023. Another 35 percent said they were planning to slightly increase them.

In 2024, spending on advertising and marketing in digital and alternative media worldwide grew by over 13 percent. Meanwhile, investments in traditional media increased by little more than four percent. The same study projected that online and offline advertising and marketing combined global revenues would surpass 1.87 trillion dollars.

China's digital marketing was massive, surpassing one trillion yuan in market size in 2023. Some of the latest industry trends were content marketing with micro-influencers, personalized marketing campaigns, and the integration of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR).

In 2023, Peru was expected to be the fastest-growing digital advertising market in the world, with an annual growth rate of about 20 percent. Argentina and Chile rounded out the top three with annual increases of approximately 19 and 17 percent, respectively.

Digital advertising in Latin America

Based on the latest projections, five of the 10 fastest-growing digital ad markets will be in Latin America in 2023. While traditional media channels still have a firm grip over the region’s advertising landscape due to media consumption habits and infrastructural hurdles, there has been a steady shift towards digital approaches in recent years. In 2022, internet advertising spending in Latin America was expected to reach roughly 11.7 billion U.S. dollars, more than twice the amount that was invested in 2018. Interestingly, social media is set to draw the largest share of expenditures and outperform search in the running for the top digital advertising format in Latin America and the Caribbean.

What are the top digital advertising markets worldwide?

Data on the global distribution of internet advertising spending shows that North America and the Asia-Pacific region remain the largest spenders, with the United States setting the pace. And yet, forecasts also suggest that the most prominent players will see their market shares decline in the following years. Smaller fish such as Latin America or the Middle East and Africa (MENA), which currently represent less than two percent of global digital ad spend, are set to slowly but steadily leverage their massive growth potential in the future.

How many people use social media? Social media usage is one of the most popular online activities. In 2024, over five billion people were using social media worldwide, a number projected to increase to over six billion in 2028.

Who uses social media? Social networking is one of the most popular digital activities worldwide and it is no surprise that social networking penetration across all regions is constantly increasing. As of January 2023, the global social media usage rate stood at 59 percent. This figure is anticipated to grow as lesser developed digital markets catch up with other regions when it comes to infrastructure development and the availability of cheap mobile devices. In fact, most of social media’s global growth is driven by the increasing usage of mobile devices. Mobile-first market Eastern Asia topped the global ranking of mobile social networking penetration, followed by established digital powerhouses such as the Americas and Northern Europe.

How much time do people spend on social media? Social media is an integral part of daily internet usage. On average, internet users spend 151 minutes per day on social media and messaging apps, an increase of 40 minutes since 2015. On average, internet users in Latin America had the highest average time spent per day on social media.

What are the most popular social media platforms? Market leader Facebook was the first social network to surpass one billion registered accounts and currently boasts approximately 2.9 billion monthly active users, making it the most popular social network worldwide. In June 2023, the top social media apps in the Apple App Store included mobile messaging apps WhatsApp and Telegram Messenger, as well as the ever-popular app version of Facebook.

Digital advertising spending of the entertainment industry in the United States was forecast to increase by 7.9 percent in 2022. Retail digital ad spending was projected to increase 12.2 percent, while digital ad spending of consumer packaged goods was forecast to increase 6.1 percent.

During an early 2020 survey carried out among marketing leaders from 29 countries, 83 percent of respondents reported using social media as a digital channel for their marketing strategy. To compare, 67 percent of professionals said they used search marketing and 66 percent of videos or OTT.