The Rise of Social Media Users - Statistics to 2023 (2023)

The rise of social media is perhaps one of the most significant changes that the average person has experienced in the past two decades. The only possible competitors are the development of the personal computer (and the internet around it) and the rise of the smartphone. New technologies are always shaping society and the people around us, but rarely have massive changes happened so quickly.

But while we can and will talk about how social media has evolved in recent years and where we are now, we want to focus on the users. After all, social media is users. Different networks have different points of interest, demographics, use cases, etc. It seems like everyone has a network, and it's a lot involved. Think about the diversity you find in your own social media feeds. When you step outside, there's more to it than you can imagine.

While we can't talk about all the stats available (there will be books to be written), here are the most important things you should know:

What do we mean by social media?

First, we need to define social media. Everyone has an opinion, but when we're going to talk about trends here, we need to focus on what we're talking about. Statistics may have a mind of their own, but can only do so much without stifling the discussion.

Social media is basically any tool, application, website or program that allows users to share ideas and content with the public. On social media, the user is the content, unlike a website that has a simple comments section that might not even be noticed, let alone read. At this point, sharing rules may change (Twitter's character limit or some more ephemeral post types), but users are the driving force.

It's a broad definition in some ways, but a definite one. It does make us think about edge cases like YouTube. Most people wouldn't think of YouTube as a form of social media, but in many ways it fits all the right metrics. It is primarily powered by user-generated content, allowing information to be shared in almost any way, and anyone can contribute. Sure, it has some limitations, and many channels are so small that no one notices, but that's the case with many networks. No matter how broad the user base, there are always some users who will receive the most attention.

Finally, social media changes over time, and so does its definition. 2023 itself won't change much (at least not dramatically), but be open to new locations and opportunities. You'll be surprised by what you discover and what you can learn.

user growth

Social media businesses thrive on never-ending growth and engagement. They take those perspectives very seriously. Most social media companies are valued when they invest in not necessarily what the companies are worth, but what they are and could be worth. There is value in being able to connect with billions of people in some way, as is value in having data about their relationships, interests, etc. And, the more people on the platform, the more people want to join. Would you join a platform where no one is active and no one you know is on? Probably not.

But what is the growth rate of general users and each network? let's see:

• Generally estimated about the same4 billion social media usersby 2022. That's a huge increase, even compared to the 2.86 billion users five years ago. The total is expected to increase in the coming years, even if some individual networks are eliminated.

• Facebook, by far the most popular social network, has experienced phenomenal growth over the years, reaching almost2.8 billion usersBy the end of 2020. Considering how it started in 2004 with around 1 million users, you could say it's a world domination story.
• However, recent data shows that not everything is perfect in Facebook's world. she actuallyshow reductionamong active users. Of course, that's not good for a company built on endless growth, which is why the social media giant may need to rethink its strategy or change its business model.
• For many, Twitter is one of Facebook's biggest competitors, but it's not as popular as you might think. have290.5 monthly active usersOn the platform in 2019, it is expected to have 340 million users by 2024.
• why is it like this? While it has high usage in Western countries, especially the US, it doesn't have the global reach of Facebook. Twitter gets a lot of media attention, but it's not as ubiquitous in the lives of ordinary people as Facebook is.
• While we might think Facebook is experiencing explosive growth, it's hardly comparable to the growth TikTok has seen in recent years. The app has taken the world (or at least the youth) by storm, and now that we're in 2022, there are more users than anyone could have imagined. At last check, there were more than1.2 billion users. Despite some controversy, and the possibility of even being banned in some countries, the train shows no sign of stopping.

• Snapchat is a somewhat interesting case. While there have been reports that the app is going down (and has been for a while), there are currentlyMore daily active users than everon the app. There are currently about 319 million daily users, up from 265 million in the fourth quarter of 2020.
• But why? After Instagram added Stories and adopted many of the features Snapchat is famous for, TikTok took over the rest of the market. Things look bleak for the app. According to reportsSnapchat CourtBased on its core user base, augmented reality features, and Spotlight (a TikTok competitor). It's certainly not the company it was in 2018, but it has found a home and a user base. How it uses technology in the future will matter.

While there are certainly more individual social media companies than those mentioned above (we didn't even mention Instagram), we could talk about them all day long, and the numbers aren't always reliable. Suffice it to say, the world of social media is always up and down, and users are happy to switch platforms easily if they find a good reason, and momentum is king. In 2022, there may even be a new competitor taking the world by storm. We just have to wait.

increase activity

Now that we understand growth, what can we say about engagement? After all, if users just have an account and do nothing, that's not going to be great for the relevant social media network. People are less likely to use a network that their friends don't. No ads will be shown to users who have never opened the app. If there is no entry, no data can be collected. Participation is important, and we need to be mindful of who is using what when. Here are some facts on the matter:

• The average person spends about 2 hours and 27 minutes on social media. Note that some people rarely use an account once they have it, while others use it a lot even if it's not their job. In fact, some teens spend nine hours a day browsing social media, which is about half of their waking hours.
• As you know from some of the people you know, social media addiction is a problem. While there's debate over whether it's truly as addictive as we know it medically, the question is there. about15%of 23- to 38-year-olds admit to being addicted to social media. Many more consider themselves at least "somewhat" addicted.
• While people use social media a lot, and often for quite some time, social media doesn't have much of an impact on the average person's attention span. People Leave Videos or Posts Quickly, Here's the Optimal Facebook Video Lengthtwo to five minutes.
• Engagement is key, with an engagement rate of 84% on Instagram.
• Of course, there are times of day when people are most active on social media. If you want to know when your posts are most popular, you might want to readthis source.
• People don't just use one platform. On average, people use7.5 platformsevery month. Some of these are of course used more than others, but they all have their place, showing that people are connected in many different ways.

What do people use social media for?

Now it's obvious that many people use social media. Looking at your own follower list and feed will tell you this. But what do people use social media for? What is the goal? What keeps people coming back? These are more interesting questions. While there is no complete answer, we found some more interesting things:

• People are increasingly using social media to shop. When they're not shopping for themselves, they're definitely checking out marketing and recommendations from friends. Find restaurants near you. Many of them may only have social media pages instead of a website. Even Facebook offers everything a restaurant needs, and there are networks and websites with more specialized features. Business is part of life and social media tries to be part of life.
• People usually join social media because they need an account to access the service or view information, or because some of their friends are already using the service.
• The same goes for reservations. People may hate a social media network but still stick to it because it's the only or most convenient way to keep in touch with the people they care about.
• Why not ask people directly? based on a pollthese are the reasonsPeople use social media, but not all:

Of course, none of the reasons are mutually exclusive. People may want to do several things at once when signing up. Often people don't even know what they want to do when they log in, although once they give their full attention they will throw themselves into some of the activities mentioned above. Humans aren't the best at self-reporting their activity either, so keep that in mind.

Equipment failure

What do people use to access social media? Do they prefer to use a smartphone or a computer? Do they behave differently on different devices?

Let's take a look, you might be a little surprised:

• Strictly speaking, social media is the domain of smartphones. While this is possible (not many people have access to Myspace on their phones), moremore than ninety percent of peopleAccess social media on their phones.
• Likewise, 80% of all time spent on social media is spent on smartphones. You've probably noticed this yourself, and noticed how much easier it seems to be to engage in social media on your smartphone than your browser. Everything seems to be designed for them. There are quite a few social media networks out there that don't even have a good browser option, or a severely blocked browser option.
• Tablets occupy an odd place, because they do exist. Functionally, most tablets are not much different from smartphones. They just have bigger screens and can't call people. If you can do it on a smartphone, most Android tablets can too. While Apple devices are slightly different, social media companies don't lose sight of the potential benefits and engagement.
• Messaging app usage is probably the biggest factor when it comes to device usage breakdown. Whatsapp, Snapchat, and other messaging apps are very popular for several reasons. They are free. They have a wide user base. And many of them are encrypted, so information leaks are less likely. In many ways, they are cheaper and more personal than standard text messages, at least in some countries.
• It should be noted that scammers often use these apps for the same reason, but that's a topic for another article.

Break down demographics

Some social networks appeal to demographic groups in different ways. Some social networks can even be almost dominated by one group or another, which could be part of the design or a snowball effect. Here are some facts to prove it:

• In general, there are more male social media users than male social media users. Among the global users, men accounted for 53.9% and women accounted for 46.1%.
• Note that this doesn't necessarily mean that men are inherently more attracted to social media than women. Certain platforms are definitely biased in some way, but in general the differences can be due to technical or personal circumstances in different parts of the world.
• Age is the clearest demographic and you'll see differences between usage and which networks people prefer. Younger adults are generally more likely to use social media, while those over 65 are the least likely to have an account (except for young children who legally cannot have an account anyway).
• Looking at the overall numbers, the 25-34 age group is the largest and most targeted group (due to advertising preference). The split might be slightly different (maybe 18-29 instead of 25-34), but younger people use social media more and make up the majority of users.
• However, TikTok is the domain of young people. The biggest age group on TikTok is10-19 years old.Also interesting is that 61% of the total user base is female.
• There may be other demographics or additional splits, but the information is harder to track. As opposed to age or gender, social media networks are less likely to ask for information about an individual's race or income. Any query for more information will be smaller in size.

As with the other sections, we could go on for longer if we wanted to discuss the breakdown of each demographic and each social media application. The data is there if you're interested. Arguably, though, the point is clear: there are differences among audiences for social media apps, and both companies and individuals should be aware of them as appropriate.

Differences Between Social Networks

What are the differences between social networks? They're clearly competing, but the user base will have different views on different networks. They can express them in discourse or usage, but as long as social media exists, it will be a constant battle.

Once a social media network adopts a feature, it seems inevitable that all other networks with at least a slight crossover (or even no crossover) will adopt a similar feature or technology. Think of all the "story" options on social media apps that allow ad-hoc posting or some sort of update. Think about how video is available in almost every option. There are even private messages on the app that you don't immediately think of. Advertising methods also have their own form of penetration, and will advance on anything that can both make money and be accepted by users (because they won't leave that platform because of ads).

We also need to look at their relative popularity. here haslatest figuresabout:

This should come as no surprise to anyone who has been following the social media landscape in general for a while, but the data does suggest a few things:

1. A few sites clearly dominate. While there are plenty of people who don't like Facebook, and some even more vehement critics, that doesn't stop most online users from using Facebook or any of its related companies. But while you might think big corporations rule the roost, remember that money doesn't solve everything in the social media world. YouTube, owned by Google, is huge, butgoogle+Not so well.
2. There are more regular users than we expected. Quora and Pinterest may seem like niche sites, but they have global followings and regular user bases.
3. You may notice some inconsistencies when compared to the data for a similar time frame mentioned earlier in this article. While we can accurately estimate how many users there are, it comes down to how they are measured and when exactly. A few months is a huge difference, and companies don't give away all their secrets. Whatever the social media network can do to look better and more competitive, it will do it. This includes framing numbers in as positive a light as possible.

Of course, internal strategy and marketing will also differ between networks and companies, although these are harder to parse and can change quickly. Unfortunately, we are not familiar with trade secrets. We are more likely to see the results of policy differences than to notice them in real time, at least fully.

Specialized comparison summary

The clear line between social media networks and corporations is their desire and focus for change. Some will experiment and expand to new features and markets, sometimes with little success. Others may focus more on perfecting what they already have, extending only the features and technologies that enhance the primary experience and appeal. Of course, you can notice experiments, but they are more tightly controlled.

Facebook, for example, has a user base that tries everything and can afford it, at least in part. In the meantime, Quora will likely continue its work and keep the same service they've always had. Reddit can only do so much by design, and it's unlikely to expand to other areas of the tech market.

Users associate applications or networks for certain purposes. If there is already an existing service that is being used, people are less likely to switch unless there is a strong incentive. Potential influencers try to get in when the bottom line is low, so to speak, but they are not representative of the entire user base.

social media in different countries

Unless you've traveled extensively in the past, chances are you're only used to social media in your own country. While the internet allows us to connect with people all over the world, it doesn't mean we do. People prefer things that are comfortable. Most of the time, users are likely to have friends in their area, although social media has certainly changed the way we communicate with those who have left us.

However, keep in mind some limitations. This is especially true in China, where many social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter, have been rendered largely unusable by censorship laws and measures collectively known as the “Great Firewall.” Instead, you might see something like this:

You can watch them and learn a lot, although like other online cultures they are constantly changing. Some notes about these networks or variants of the networks we know, or just facts about international social networks:

• They are very popular, but maybe also because they are the only ones on the market. If you want to use social media in China, you can use these networks. You might be able to use a VPN to get around them, but unless you already have a remote connection, proficiency in other languages, and a strong curiosity, it's of little use.
• These networks are also heavily monitored and censored by the government. Some tags or words are banned by the algorithm or turned off entirely. In some countries, the network effectively checks itself after a certain point. Of course there will be workarounds, but this is a complex topic that deserves a separate article.
• Interestingly, depending on certain laws in certain countries, these laws are less laissez-faire regarding the impact of social media on information or public life. While it could lead to certain states or countries creating policies about what happens online (no one is leaving the California market behind), it could also mean that if the network thinks a small country's laws are too much for its model Not acceptable, she just doesn't work in the country. This may be a balancing act, although you'll still find that online entities operate differently in different countries. Despite the complaints, most social media networks are alive and well the rest of the way.
• those countriesmost used social mediaOutside of the US is not what you think it is. Instead, you'll see countries like the Philippines, Colombia, Brazil, Kenya, and Nigeria. In terms of average time, the average person spends most of their time on one or another social media network.
• In terms of which networks are the most popular, you'll often see YouTube, WhatsApp, and Facebook in a certain order. They are clearly dominant, especially as WhatsApp is finding a growing audience. YouTube is a bit of a mystery and hard to think about because people use it for so many different reasons. Considering it's free and only runs on ads, people use it to listen to music, educate themselves, and more. The diversity there is wider than most social networks offer, even if the social aspect is toned down.

It's hard to find more accurate information on these sites, but we hope you have a general idea of ​​what's going on and how it differs from what you're used to. Pay attention to what people say online and don't be afraid to get in touch, especially if you don't use your account very often. In this way, you can learn more about the world and the platform.

Changes in 2023

What to expect in 2023, especially given the current political and technological environment? While it's too early to make full predictions, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• In some ways, the pandemic is still with us, and social media networks are trying to amplify people's growing use and reliance at the height of the crisis. How they'll do this will vary, but some of these features and points of interest going offline or transitioning are worth watching.
• For some companies, growth is inevitable, but we have now reached a point of market saturation. Is there anyone in a free country who doesn't know Facebook or YouTube? Everyone has already made a decision. For the largest networks, waiting for people to sign up is no longer an issue. It will be a matter of convincing them to sign up or convincing them to come back.
• Thanks in part to the pandemic, the lines between social media and e-commerce are blurrier than before. More than one-third of internet users in the U.S. conduct social transactionsPurchase in 2021.It is foolish to think that this trend will not grow or remain strong in 2022.
• As we've seen with some of the Snapchat experiments, by 2022 people may be more interested in AR and VR opportunities for business and entertainment. Users gain more access to the technology, and developers get better at creating content and using it.
• Social media will become more global. Lines between countries are blurred online, except for hard walls or sites (think China or North Korea), which will lead to cultural exchange (friendly and not-so-friendly) on these platforms. It doesn't matter where you are from as long as someone speaks your language.

The further expansion and future of social media

So where do social media companies go from here? What expectations do we have for the future of this industry, and what needs will users have?

• New social media networks will certainly emerge, and vast amounts of data will be analyzed on them. In fact, more social media networks as you know them are emerging, but many of them are still niche, or just won't survive for very long.
• Social media networks tend to borrow features from each other in some way. It happens in every industry, but it's blatantly obvious on social media. Think about Instagram Stories and how Facebook later had a similar feature. Not crazy considering Instagram and Facebook are part of the same company, but you've noticed a similar feature on Twitter. Different filters and different types of reactions come in waves.
• Technology drives social media and vice versa. As 5G rolls out around the world and smartphones get smarter, social media apps will be able to do a lot more. We'll likely see more in-depth video capabilities thanks to better cameras. Better GPS and facial tracking will have recognition uses (for better or worse). Of course there's the regular social media site stuff too, but they're not the bottleneck. Smartphones are where people use social media and getting noticed is the most important thing.
• Politics affects life, and given the importance of social media, disinformation campaigns, and related topics in recent events, we are only a few things from major changes for granted. There is a balance between the public interest and freedom of information.
• To avoid this, many social networks are taking a tougher stance against disinformation, especially when it comes to trending topics. False information about COVID is often removed or placed at the bottom of the Twitter algorithm. There are more reporting capabilities than ever before. Bots are their own concern, and there are frequent battles between them and the administrators for the userbase.
• Is there a limit to user base growth? Of course there should be. After all, even if social networks were perfect and everyone on the planet could access the pristine Internet, there would be a finite number of people on the planet. Some of them are small children, although we suspect the law is the only thing stopping some small children from getting the bill.
• So social media companies are going to have to think differently about growth, and think differently about their user bases. What was once free may not be free anymore, as investors wonder when returns will come. We could see greater competition for participation, not just among companies, but also across the web and the outside world. There is a war for our attention. Most importantly, make sure you are a winner.
• Since this is a recent topic and has a lot to do with Facebook, we couldn't help but talk about Meta, however briefly. Meta is hard to describe. For simplicity, imagine this as a virtual space where people can interact with avatars in different ways. It might be better to compare it to the more accessible VRChat or other forms of virtual reality space, other than being more accessible as described. But as much as it's been talked about, assuming it does come out, we won't see much of it in the next few years. It's an ambitious project that could change the way we look at social media, but it might be too ambitious.

in conclusion

Social media is complex and constantly evolving. It's unclear what the future holds for these platforms or their users, but we hope you get a better idea of ​​what 2022 holds. It's a good idea that you might change your habits based on some of the stats above. Take back your time or use social media in a smarter way in the future. Whatever works for you, we support it. May you continue to discover interesting notes and facts on this new topic, and may social media evolve in ways that are useful to you and other users around the world.