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.

A 2021 online survey conducted in the United States found that ** percent of respondents trusted Facebook the least when it came to their personal privacy and data on social media, with ** percent reporting Facebook as the least trusted service. Overall, one third of respondents said they trusted TikTok the least, and ** percent said Twitter was their least trusted social media platform.

How many people use social media? Social media usage is one of the most popular online activities. In 2024, over **** ******* people were using social media worldwide, a number projected to increase to over *** billion in 2029. 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 ** 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 *** minutes per day on social media and messaging apps, an increase of ** 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 *** billion registered accounts and currently boasts approximately *** 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.

During a 2025 survey among marketers worldwide, around 83 percent reported using Facebook for marketing purposes. Instagram and LinkedIn followed, respectively mentioned by 78 and 69 percent of the respondents. The global social media marketing segment According to the same study, 60 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 2025. 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.

How much time do people spend on social media? As of 2025, the average daily social media usage of internet users worldwide amounted to 141 minutes per day, down from 143 minutes in the previous year. Currently, the country with the most time spent on social media per day is Brazil, with online users spending an average of 3 hours and 49 minutes on social media each day. In comparison, the daily time spent with social media in the U.S. was just 2 hours and 16 minutes. Global social media usageCurrently, the global social network penetration rate is 62.3 percent. Northern Europe had an 81.7 percent social media penetration rate, topping the ranking of global social media usage by region. Eastern and Middle Africa closed the ranking with 10.1 and 9.6 percent usage reach, respectively. People access social media for a variety of reasons. Users like to find funny or entertaining content and enjoy sharing photos and videos with friends, but mainly use social media to stay in touch with current events friends. Global impact of social mediaSocial media has a wide-reaching and significant impact on not only online activities but also offline behavior and life in general. During a global online user survey in February 2019, a significant share of respondents stated that social media had increased their access to information, ease of communication, and freedom of expression. On the flip side, respondents also felt that social media had worsened their personal privacy, increased a polarization in politics and heightened everyday distractions.

As of February 2021, YouTube had a global penetration rate of 62 percent, followed closely by Meta's Facebook, with 61 percent. Overall, instant messaging service WhatsApp had a global penetration rate of 52 percent. Additionally, 12 percent of people used TikTok, and one in ten people around the world use messaging service Telegram.

According to an online survey conducted in November 2021 in the United States, just under three-quarters of social media users said they had seen information on social media platforms that had been flagged or labeled as false. Furthermore, the remaining ** percent said they had not witnessed social media content being identified as disinformation. When possible, some social media companies add fact-check labels to posts that relate to the false content in an attempt to counteract untrue claims.

TikTok saw an exceptional increase of monthly active users worldwide from 2019 to 2021, at 38 percent. The short-form video sharing app was used by 689 million individuals monthly as of 2021, compared to 500 million in 2019. Other leading social networks that increased with over 30 percent were Pinterest and Reddit.

The coronavirus pandemic is one of the factors that have resulted in an increased interest in social networking, with billions of people in lockdown, working and studying from home, and in need of socializing.

During a 2025 survey among marketers worldwide, approximately ** percent said Facebook was the most important social media platform. LinkedIn and Instagram followed, respectively mentioned by ** and ** percent of respondents. Why marketers use social media as a branding channel According to the same study, the leading benefits of social media marketing were increased exposure and traffic. In other words, mastering a brand's presence on such platforms can make a company's products and services known across multiple demographics as well as generate traffic for its online sales. Marketers' favorite social media platforms The survey also revealed that business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) marketers' top social media can vary. While B2C professionals bet on Facebook and its still massive usage rate, B2B strategists focus on LinkedIn, where companies can see and be seen. However, the social media video platforms in which marketers wanted to invest more were YouTube and Instagram.

According to a telephone interview conducted in the United States in February 2021, 49 percent of respondents who used Facebook visited the social media platform several times per day, whilst 22 percent of users visited the site about once a day. Of those who used Snapchat, 45 percent of them used the mobile app several times a day. Regarding Twitter, 30 percent of respondents visited the online social networking service several times a day, whilst 53 percent reported to access it less frequently, meaning they used it a few times a week or every few weeks.

According to a 2021 online survey conducted in the United States, 37 percent of social media users have had their online profiles hacked. Overall, 77 percent of these hacking incidences occurred on Facebook, and 35 percent occurred on Instagram. Additionally, around a quarter of respondents reported that their Twitter accounts were hacked, whilst 23 percent said that their TikTok accounts had been hacked.

An online survey conducted in the United States in November 2021 found that ** percent of respondents said people have little control over the things they see on social media sites, whilst a third said that users have no control over what they see. Overall, just *** in *** respondents stated that they felt social media users had a lot of control over what content they see in their social media news feeds.

In 2021, global social media advertising spending stood at around *** billion U.S. dollars. The source projected that this figure would more than double and exceed an all-time high of *** billion by 2028. Where to advertise in a sea of social media platforms? While there are many regional differences when it comes to social media usage and accessibility, some platforms reign supreme among users and advertisers alike. As of 2022, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram were the most popular social networks worldwide. Thanks to their massive audiences, these Meta-owned properties also ranked among the leading social media platforms for marketers. What makes advertising via these channels so appealing is not only the prospect of boosting brand awareness and generating leads but also the possibility to strengthen brands’ relationships with consumers via direct communication. Spotlight on influencer marketing In addition to posting photos and videos on their social media accounts and interacting with followers, companies can also enlist the help of content creators to drive visibility and potentially unlock new audiences. Over the past few years, the global influencer marketing market value has expanded rapidly and is now sized at an estimated **** billion U.S. dollars. Instagram remains the primary playground for this creator-driven form of online marketing, though apps like TikTok are also becoming more appealing to brands from around the world.

According to a survey of internet users in the United States, as of November 2021, ******* was the preferred social media platform to watch short-form videos, with around ** percent of respondents reporting to use the popular video platform to watch this type of content. ******** followed, with more than *** in ** respondents indicating they watch short-form videos on the platform. TikTok, which introduced only in February 2022 the possibility for users to upload videos up to ** minutes long, was indicated by ** percent of respondents as their preferred platform to watch short-form video content.

During a 2021 survey, over ** percent of responding social media users aged 16 to 34 from the United States had purchased products or services on Instagram. Facebook was the platform named most often, used for purchases by nearly ** percent of respondents. The phenomenon of making purchases via social channels is called social commerce. Estimates suggest there were over ** million U.S. social commerce buyers in 2021.

A 2021 online survey conducted in the United States found that ** percent of respondents trusted Meta's Facebook the most when it came to their privacy and data on social media, whilst ** percent of users trusted video sharing platform YouTube. Overall, just over one in ** social media users were most trusting of Reddit with their personal data, and **** percent were trusting of social platform Discord.

According to an online survey conducted in November 2021 in the United States, ** percent of ** to 29-year-old social media users said that the usage of algorithms to detect false information on social media platforms was a bad idea for society. In contrast, ** percent of respondents aged 50 to 64 years stated that usage of computer programs to find false information on social media was a good idea for society. With younger age groups having much of their education and daily life intertwined with online technology, there may be a better understanding and more exposure among this demographic to the positives and negatives of algorithms.

When asked if they thought social platforms were a better place to find out about new products than online searches, some ** percent of Gen Z shoppers gave an affirmative answer, as compared to ** percent of Millennials. The survey, which was conducted in the United States in May 2021, included more than ***** consumers from across the country.

According to a 2021 survey, ** percent of Chinese respondents said they had purchased or intended to purchase groceries and apparel on social media platforms. Among online shoppers in the United States, about ** percent bought or planned to buy clothes. Similarly, beauty was the most popular category for social commerce in India, preferred by ** percent of those surveyed.

According to a 2021 survey, almost ********** (** percent) of social media shoppers globally made purchases on this channel without having planned to do so. In addition, nearly a quarter (** percent) of respondents shopped on social networks impulsively, while ** percent had planned these purchases.