10 Statistics You Should Know About Social Media in 2022
Social media today is unrecognizable compared to the social media of the early 2000s. It’s no longer a place solely for sharing every thought that pops into your head (although that depends on who you ask). It’s now a place for truly connecting with others, shopping, keeping updated on the latest news and events, and even working.
Social media is effectively the capital of the internet, and it’s becoming ever more crowded by the day.
Over the past year, social media usage has skyrocketed – not surprising considering that a vast majority of the population spent most of the time at home and online in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. But just how much has the social media landscape changed in recent months? Which platforms are the industry leaders, and how have social media marketing and content creation changed? Let’s find out through some of the most intriguing social media stats of 2021.
Interesting Social Media Statistics
The top dogs of social media
Social media is becoming a highly competitive industry. It seems like a new platform takes the world by storm and gathers millions of users every other day.
Long gone are the days of Myspace where each person had one, maybe two accounts on social networking sites. Today, the average person has 8.4 accounts! But which platforms see the highest number of users? Who are the true top dogs of social media? Let’s find out.
- With 2.89 billion users, Facebook continues to outperform all competitors.
Despite the rising popularity of Snapchat, TikTok, and Twitter, Facebook remains the most popular social media platform. It boasts over 2.89 billion users, outperforming every competitor by a significant margin.
Right after Facebook, we have YouTube with 2.3 billion users, WhatsApp with 2 billion, and Instagram with 1.3 billion. Drawing quite the attention but still lagging behind are TikTok with 732 million users, Snapchat with 514 million, Reddit with 430 million, and Twitter with 397 million.
most popular social networks worldwide
- 62% of the entire US population 12+ uses Facebook.
Consistent with it being the most popular platform, Facebook enjoys brand usage among 62% of the entire US population aged 12 and over – a percentage that’s been largely stable over the last three years. Following right behind are Instagram, with 43% brand usage among those 12 and over; Pinterest, with 31% brand usage; and Snapchat, with 28% brand usage.
- Q3 of 2021 sees Facebook reach 2.81 billion cumulative product users.
Facebook, Inc., or as of recently, Meta Platforms, Inc., has several core products – Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. Cumulatively, these products enjoyed 2.81 billion daily active users. That marks a significant increase compared to the same period in 2020, which saw 2.54 billion users, and 2019, which saw 2.2 billion users.
The company stated that its monthly active product users surpassed 3.58 billion Q3 of 2021.
- Engagement rates per post reach 0.09% on Facebook.
The median engagement rates by follower per post have remained largely unchanged since 2019 on Facebook. The cross-industry average stands at 0.09%, while the best-performing industries include sports teams with engagement rates of 0.18%, influencers and higher ed with 0.15% each, and hotels and resorts with 0.13%.
Somewhat surprisingly, engagement rates stand at 0.02% in the tech and software industry, 0.03% in the fashion industry, and 0.05% in health and beauty.
- TikTok breaks a billion monthly active users in Q3 of 2021.
TikTok is one of the fastest-growing apps on the market, even after India and Pakistan have banned it for “morality issues.” Launched in 2016 under the name Douyin in China, the international version known as TikTok hit the markets in 2017 and immediately started garnering attention.
In four years, the platform went from 65 million to over a billion monthly active users. With 693 million downloads in 2019 and 850 million in 2020, it’s in the top 10 most downloaded apps of the 2010s.
(Source: Businessofapps.com)
- Twitter to get 340 million users by 2024.
Twitter has been steadily growing over the past few years. When it went public in 2013, it enjoyed around 200 million fans worldwide, and currently, it boasts over 320 million monthly active users. That number should rise to over 340 million by 2024.
- WeChat broke a billion users in 2018 and reaches over 1.25 billion people in 2021.
WeChat is among the leading social networking sites around the globe, sixth in terms of active users. Released in 2011 under the name Weixin, it rebranded to WeChat in 2012 and quickly started accumulating global audiences. The platform went from 2.8 million users in 2011 to 1.25 billion in 2021.
WeChat has evolved from a simple communications service to a full-blown social media platform with various features, including voice and text messaging, gaming, making payments, and publishing Moments (photos, videos, and status updates).
- Cristiano Ronaldo has the most popular Instagram account with over 315 million followers.
Although Kylie Jenner, with her 249.65 million followers, is often regarded as the most popular Instagrammer, she’s not even in the top three. As of July 2021, the top Instagram accounts include Cristiano Ronaldo with his 315.75 million followers, The Rock (aka Dwayne Johnson) with 254.76 million followers, and Ariana Grande with 252.84 million followers.
Of course, none outperform Instagram’s own account with 439 million followers.
- Barack Obama has the most popular Twitter account with over 129 million followers.
Despite all the celebrities and businesses that use Twitter daily, it’s the former president of the US that enjoys the greatest following. Obama has 129.78 million followers on the platform, and following right behind him is Justin Bieber, with 114.04 million followers.
Other renowned accounts include Katy Perry with 109.52 million followers, Rihanna with 102.22 million, Cristiano Ronaldo with 91.39 million, and Taylor Swift with 88.51 million.
Social media market size
The social media market has been growing exponentially, even before the pandemic. However, since the start of 2020, the top platforms have undergone quite a growth spurt. There are more users across age groups, and there’s a broader adoption across countries. Social networking sites are breaking profit records, and even offshoot industries like social media management and social media analytics are seeing exciting activity.
Let’s dive deeper into the social media market and see how it fared in 2021.
- 65% of the total global population is online.
Over 5.1 billion people are internet users, accounting for 65% of the entire global population as of 2021. Of the 4.66 billion, 4.32 billion are mobile internet users, while 4.2 billion are active social media users.
Internet penetration is the highest in Northern Europe, where it sits at 96%. However, most internet users come from Asia – 2.5 billion. The only exception is North Korea, which has virtually no internet penetration.
Conclusion
Social media has opened a world of possibilities for brands, marketers, and consumers alike. The stats mentioned in this article are just the tip of the iceberg, giving just a glimpse into the power of social networks. Still, they’re more than enough to point you in the right direction and help you reach your social media potential.
