As of April 2024, almost 32 percent of global Instagram audiences were aged between 18 and 24 years, and 30.6 percent of users were aged between 25 and 34 years. Overall, 16 percent of users belonged to the 35 to 44 year age group.

              Instagram users

              With roughly one billion monthly active users, Instagram belongs to the most popular social networks worldwide. The social photo sharing app is especially popular in India and in the United States, which have respectively 362.9 million and 169.7 million Instagram users each.

              Instagram features

              One of the most popular features of Instagram is Stories. Users can post photos and videos to their Stories stream and the content is live for others to view for 24 hours before it disappears. In January 2019, the company reported that there were 500 million daily active Instagram Stories users. Instagram Stories directly competes with Snapchat, another photo sharing app that initially became famous due to it’s “vanishing photos” feature.
              As of the second quarter of 2021, Snapchat had 293 million daily active users.

The product has been discontinued since: 03 Jul 2018.

As of April 2024, around 16.5 percent of global active Instagram users were men between the ages of 18 and 24 years. More than half of the global Instagram population worldwide was aged 34 years or younger.

              Teens and social media

              As one of the biggest social networks worldwide, Instagram is especially popular with teenagers. As of fall 2020, the photo-sharing app ranked third in terms of preferred social network among teenagers in the United States, second to Snapchat and TikTok. Instagram was one of the most influential advertising channels among female Gen Z users when making purchasing decisions. Teens report feeling more confident, popular, and better about themselves when using social media, and less lonely, depressed and anxious.
              Social media can have negative effects on teens, which is also much more pronounced on those with low emotional well-being. It was found that 35 percent of teenagers with low social-emotional well-being reported to have experienced cyber bullying when using social media, while in comparison only five percent of teenagers with high social-emotional well-being stated the same. As such, social media can have a big impact on already fragile states of mind.

As of January 2024, #love was the most used hashtag on Instagram, being included in over two billion posts on the social media platform. #Instagood and #instagram were used over one billion times as of early 2024.

As of January 2024, Instagram was slightly more popular with men than women, with men accounting for 50.6 percent of the platform’s global users. Additionally, the social media app was most popular amongst younger audiences, with almost 32 percent of users aged between 18 and 24 years.

              Instagram’s Global Audience

              As of January 2024, Instagram was the fourth most popular social media platform globally, reaching two billion monthly active users (MAU). This number is projected to keep growing with no signs of slowing down, which is not a surprise as the global online social penetration rate across all regions is constantly increasing.
              As of January 2024, the country with the largest Instagram audience was India with 362.9 million users, followed by the United States with 169.7 million users.

              Who is winning over the generations?

              Even though Instagram’s audience is almost twice the size of TikTok’s on a global scale, TikTok has shown itself to be a fierce competitor, particularly amongst younger audiences. TikTok was the most downloaded mobile app globally in 2022, generating 672 million downloads. As of 2022, Generation Z in the United States spent more time on TikTok than on Instagram monthly.

Cristiano Ronaldo has one of the most popular Instagram accounts as of April 2024.

              The Portuguese footballer is the most-followed person on the photo sharing app platform with 628 million followers. Instagram's own account was ranked first with roughly 672 million followers.

              How popular is Instagram?

              Instagram is a photo-sharing social networking service that enables users to take pictures and edit them with filters. The platform allows users to post and share their images online and directly with their friends and followers on the social network. The cross-platform app reached one billion monthly active users in mid-2018. In 2020, there were over 114 million Instagram users in the United States and experts project this figure to surpass 127 million users in 2023.

              Who uses Instagram?

              Instagram audiences are predominantly young – recent data states that almost 60 percent of U.S. Instagram users are aged 34 years or younger. Fall 2020 data reveals that Instagram is also one of the most popular social media for teens and one of the social networks with the biggest reach among teens in the United States.

              Celebrity influencers on Instagram
              Many celebrities and athletes are brand spokespeople and generate additional income with social media advertising and sponsored content. Unsurprisingly, Ronaldo ranked first again, as the average media value of one of his Instagram posts was 985,441 U.S. dollars.

As of April 2024, Facebook had an addressable ad audience reach 131.1 percent in Libya, followed by the United Arab Emirates with 120.5 percent and Mongolia with 116 percent. Additionally, the Philippines and Qatar had addressable ad audiences of 114.5 percent and 111.7 percent.

Snapshot img

Artificial Intelligence in Social Media Market Size 2024-2028

The artificial intelligence (AI) in social media market size is forecast to increase by USD 5.57 billion at a CAGR of 27.82% between 2023 and 2028.

Artificial Intelligence is revolutionizing the social media market by enabling advanced data analysis and personalized user experiences. The growing demand for data integration and visual analytics is a significant market growth factor, as businesses seek to gain insights from vast amounts of social media data.
Additionally, the increasing use of social media for advertising has created a need for AI-powered solutions to effectively target and engage consumers. However, the lack of a skilled workforce for the development of AI algorithms poses a challenge for market growth. Despite this, the potential benefits of AI in social media, including improved customer engagement and enhanced marketing capabilities, are driving innovation and investment in this area.

Artificial Intelligence in Social Media Market Analysis

Request Free Sample

How is this market segmented and which is the largest segment?

The market research report provides comprehensive data (region-wise segment analysis), with forecasts and estimates in 'USD Billion' for the period 2024-2028, as well as historical data from 2018 - 2022 for the following segments.

Application

  Predictive risk management
  Consumer experience management
  Sales and marketing


End-user

  Large Enterprise
  SMEs


Geography

  North America

    US


  Europe

    Germany
    UK


  APAC

    China
    India


  Middle East and Africa



  South America

By Application Insights

The predictive risk management segment is estimated to witness significant growth during the forecast period. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the social media market, particularly in areas of advertising, data security, and user experience. Machine learning programs are used for content recommendation, fraud detection, and predictive risk assessment, enabling large enterprises to optimize their sales and marketing efforts and enhance customer experience management. AI technology is also employed for content creation, curation, and personalization, catering to user behavior, preferences, and sentiments. Sentiment analysis, chatbots, and automated moderation are essential tools for governments and businesses to ensure the ethical use of consumer data for targeted advertising campaigns. AI-enabled smartphones and Real-Time Operating Systems provide real-time information, daily news, and live updates, enhancing user satisfaction and engagement.

Furthermore, AI experts anticipate the growing role of virtual assistants, deep learning, and predictive modeling in the advertising industry, further transforming the social media sector.

Get a glance at the market share of various segments Request Free Sample

The predictive risk management segment was valued at USD 290.00 million in 2018 and showed a gradual increase during the forecast period.

Will Social Media landscape make North America the largest contributor to the Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Social Media Market?-

North America is estimated to contribute 41% to the growth of the global market during the forecast period. Technavio's analysts have elaborately explained the regional trends and drivers that shape the market during the forecast period.

For more insights on the market share of various regions Request Free Sample

The social media landscape in North America is witnessing significant growth due to the increasing adoption of advanced technologies such as cognitive computing, image recognition, and artificial intelligence (AI) by various industries, including retail, manufacturing, and healthcare. The region's high internet penetration and the millennial generation's preference for social media networking make it an attractive market for brands that are conscious about their image and customer demographics. Advanced analytics derived from unstructured data, metadata, comments, vlogs, podcasts, video sharing sites, and photo sharing sites are crucial for marketing campaigns and public reviews. Telecom organizations are leveraging LongTerm Evolution (LTE) and AdvancedLTE to enhance their social media presence and engage with customers effectively. System failure and security concerns have led to the increased use of AI technologies for social listening and customer engagement. The growth of the market is further fueled by global conferences, product launches, and product exhibitions, where organizations use AI to host and promote events.

Our researchers analyzed the data with 2023 as the base year, along with the key drivers, trends, and challenges. A holistic analysis of drivers will help companies refine their marketing strategies to gain a competitive advantage.

Market Dynamics

Artificial I

As of April 2024, Bahrain was the country with the highest Instagram audience reach with 95.6 percent. Kazakhstan also had a high Instagram audience penetration rate, with 90.8 percent of the population using the social network. In the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, and Brunei, the photo-sharing platform was used by more than 85 percent of each country's population.

Instagram’s most popular post

              As of April 2024, the most popular post on Instagram was Lionel Messi and his teammates after winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup with Argentina, posted by the account @leomessi. Messi's post, which racked up over 61 million likes within a day, knocked off the reigning post, which was 'Photo of an Egg'. Originally posted in January 2021, 'Photo of an Egg' surpassed the world’s most popular Instagram post at that time, which was a photo by Kylie Jenner’s daughter totaling 18 million likes.
              After several cryptic posts published by the account, World Record Egg revealed itself to be a part of a mental health campaign aimed at the pressures of social media use.

              Instagram’s most popular accounts

              As of April 2024, the official Instagram account @instagram had the most followers of any account on the platform, with 672 million followers. Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano) was the most followed individual with 628 million followers, while Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) was the most followed woman on the platform with 429 million. Additionally, Inter Miami CF striker Lionel Messi (@leomessi) had a total of 502 million. Celebrities such as The Rock, Kylie Jenner, and Ariana Grande all had over 380 million followers each.

              Instagram influencers

              In the United States, the leading content category of Instagram influencers was lifestyle, with 15.25 percent of influencers creating lifestyle content in 2021. Music ranked in second place with 10.96 percent, followed by family with 8.24 percent. Having a large audience can be very lucrative: Instagram influencers in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom with over 90,000 followers made around 1,221 US dollars per post.

              Instagram around the globe

              Instagram’s worldwide popularity continues to grow, and India is the leading country in terms of number of users, with over 362.9 million users as of January 2024. The United States had 169.65 million Instagram users and Brazil had 134.6 million users. The social media platform was also very popular in Indonesia and Turkey, with 100.9 and 57.1, respectively. As of January 2024, Instagram was the fourth most popular social network in the world, behind Facebook, YouTube and WhatsApp.

As of April 2024, it was found that men between the ages of 25 and 34 years made up Facebook largest audience, accounting for 18.4 percent of global users. Additionally, Facebook's second largest audience base could be found with men aged 18 to 24 years.

              Facebook connects the world

              Founded in 2004 and going public in 2012, Facebook is one of the biggest internet companies in the world with influence that goes beyond social media. It is widely considered as one of the Big Four tech companies, along with Google, Apple, and Amazon (all together known under the acronym GAFA). Facebook is the most popular social network worldwide and the company also owns three other billion-user properties: mobile messaging apps WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger,
              as well as photo-sharing app Instagram. Facebook usersThe vast majority of Facebook users connect to the social network via mobile devices. This is unsurprising, as Facebook has many users in mobile-first online markets. Currently, India ranks first in terms of Facebook audience size with 378 million users. The United States, Brazil, and Indonesia also all have more than 100 million Facebook users each.

Which county has the most Facebook users?

              There are more than 378 million Facebook users in India alone, making it the leading country in terms of Facebook audience size. To put this into context, if India’s Facebook audience were a country then it would be ranked third in terms of largest population worldwide. Apart from India, there are several other markets with more than 100 million Facebook users each: The United States, Indonesia, and Brazil with 193.8 million, 119.05 million, and 112.55 million Facebook users respectively.

              Facebook – the most used social media

              Meta, the company that was previously called Facebook, owns four of the most popular social media platforms worldwide, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Facebook, and Instagram. As of the third quarter of 2021, there were around 3,5 billion cumulative monthly users of the company’s products worldwide. With around 2.9 billion monthly active users, Facebook is the most popular social media worldwide. With an audience of this scale, it is no surprise that the vast majority of Facebook’s revenue is generated through advertising.

              Facebook usage by device
              As of July 2021, it was found that 98.5 percent of active users accessed their Facebook account from mobile devices. In fact, almost 81.8 percent of Facebook audiences worldwide access the platform only via mobile phone. Facebook is not only available through mobile browser as the company has published several mobile apps for users to access their products and services. As of the third quarter 2021, the four core Meta products were leading the ranking of most downloaded mobile apps worldwide, with WhatsApp amassing approximately six billion downloads.

There has been a continued upward trend in the population share of active social media users in Australia. As of February 2022, approximately **** percent of the Australian population were active users compared to just ** percent in 2015. Preferred social media brands and most popular activities Facebook was the most popular social media brand in Australia in 2019, with ** percent saying they used the platform the most often. Elsewhere, ** percent said they used Instagram and six percent used Snapchat. Social media is used by Australians for a variety of activities. The most popular use is as a means of communication, with over **** of users regularly sending private messages and ** percent commenting on posts. Active users also post pictures and videos, with ** percent of users saying they have posted visual content. When do Australians use social media? In 2018, most social media use took place during Australians free time; ** percent said they used social media platforms in the evening, ** percent were first thing in the morning users, and ** percent said they logged on during breaks. Interestingly, when it comes to users being banned from social media, just over **** said in 2019 that they somewhat agree that bans are ineffective.

As of March 2022, Kylie Cosmetics was ranked first as the most popular beauty brand on Instagram with over 25 million followers, and Anastasia Beverly Hills ranked second with 20 million. Instagram is a popular social network for brands to connect with digital audiences, and beauty brands have been making inroads on the platform due to its visual focus and strong presence of social media influencers. Beauty content on social media A picture says more than a thousand words, and millions of pictures are shared on Instagram every day. From meme accounts and people posting vacation snaps to influencers and brands promoting products, the world’s most popular photo sharing platform encompasses a vast range of visual content. Beauty, fashion and food images and videos are some of the more popular and aspirational types of content, drawing huge audiences and user engagement. Brands frequently partner with influencers to address potential shoppers. The tier of influencers considered most effective according to fashion and cosmetics marketing professionals worldwide were in fact micro-influencers with fewer than 100k followers – proof that millions of followers aren’t always necessary to secure brand collaborations.

On the other hand, the list of the most followed beauty and fashion influencers reads like a ‘who is who’ of popular models and latest ‘it girls’, currently headed by TV personality and makeup brand owner Kylie Jenner. In 2018, there were 3.7 billion brand-sponsored posts on Instagram and this figure is projected to surpass six billion posts in 2020. Brand profile: Sephora Founded in France in 1969 and acquired by French luxury conglomerate LVMH in 1997, Sephora is one of the most visible personal care and beauty brand stores worldwide. In 2017, the company had 362 stores across the United States and was ranked among the top 100 retailers in the United States in based on revenue.