10 Social Media Statistics You Need to Know in 2023

When reevaluating or creating your social media strategy, it’s a good idea to know the main social media statistics worldwide to inform your decisions. Social media has completely changed the way we live our lives—from keeping in contact with loved ones, to finding news updates, to researching new brands to invest in. Social media is unavoidable and it’s here to stay. 

2020 and 2021 have been significant years for social media. The pandemic pushed more people online, resulting in a surge of new users. With more people spending more time on social media, social media engagement and the best times to post on platforms were adjusted to suit the new working-from-home lifestyle. 

As platforms continue to develop their algorithms, social commerce capabilities and content formats to make a more enjoyable user experience, the popularity of social media will only continue to grow. So, if you aren’t investing already, get investing. 

We’ve pulled together a list of the most impressive social media statistics you should be aware of. 

The top Social media statistics 2022

How many people use social media?

To kick off our list of social media statistics, we’ll give you the big one. 4.48 billion people currently use social media worldwide—that’s double the amount of people than in 2015 and nearly 57% of the global population. The average social media user has an average of 6.6 social media accounts they use frequently. 

Who uses social media the most?

One of the least surprising social media statistics is that the generation that uses social media the most is Gen Z. Also known as the Digital Natives, you can find 87% of this generation regularly using social media. Millennials follow Gen Z, with around 81% actively using social media. Gen X and Baby Boomers trail behind with 73% and 45% active users, but these two percentages are growing as older generations begin to adapt to social medi

How much time do users spend on social media?

Time spent on social media is one of the most important social media statistics to be aware of. The time spent on social media can dictate how often you should be posting on your relevant platforms. On average, users spend 2.5 hours on social media everyday; this varies between platforms, of course. On Instagram, users spend around 28 minutes scrolling per day. However, users on TikTok spend an average of 52 minutes on the platform daily. 

How impactful is social media marketing?

One of the most impressive social media marketing statistics is that 73% of marketers believe that their social efforts have been effective for their business. Social media marketing helps build trust and emotional connections between brands and consumers. Moreover, 79% of Gen Z say they would make a purchase after seeing an influencer recommendation. 

The rise of social commerce

It’s commonly known now that over half of all social media users use platforms to research products and brands. Recently, many platforms have begun developing their social commerce and in-app shopping capabilities. The number of consumers who have moved to online shopping is at 85% and increasing. Brands should consider being early adopters of social commerce—it’ll be taking over sooner than you think. 

From digital to reality

We all know the impact of word of mouth marketing, right? 71% of customers who have had a positive experience with a brand on social media are likely to recommend the brand to family and friends. Interacting with your community through social media shows you care—this will build brand loyalty and increase the likelihood of word of mouth marketing.

Influencers build trust

Influencer marketing has been a go-to for many brands for the past few years, and it isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. 49% of consumers claim they depend on influencer recommendations to inform their purchasing decisions, while 79% of Gen Z say they would make a purchase after seeing an influencer talk about it. 

How to keep consumers following

The main four reasons consumers will unfollow a brand on social media are: poor quality of support, poor customer service, irrelevant content and too many ads. When asked the type of content consumers like to engage with, the most popular type was images (68%), followed by videos (50%) and finally text-based posts (30%). 

A marketer’s struggles

The main challenges social media marketers face are: identifying and reaching target audiences, measuring ROI and supporting overall business goals. The most successful content marketers reported that the two factors that contributed to their success the most were the value their content provides audiences and website changes. 

The most used social media platform

Facebook still remains the most used social media platform globally, but other platforms are catching up. TikTok recently dethroned Facebook as the world’s most downloaded app and boasts over 1 billion monthly active users. 

FAQs

What percentage of the population uses social media?

4.48 billion people currently use social media worldwide—that’s nearly 57% of the total global population. 

Our Influencer marketing agency and Social agency are located worldwide, with our agency network based in the USA, UK, UAE and China.

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@ Socially Powerful

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