Global Study: Over 60% of the World is Active on Social Media
New Delhi, July 24 (IANS) – A recent study conducted by digital advisory firm Kepios revealed that over 60 per cent of the world’s population, which amounts to nearly five billion people, actively engage with social media. This marks a 3.7 per cent increase compared to the previous year.
Interestingly, the number of social network users is now approaching the number of internet users, standing at 5.19 billion, which accounts for 64.5 per cent of the global population.
The study also highlighted regional variations in social media usage. In East and Central Africa, only one in eleven people use social media, whereas in India, the ratio is one in three.
Moreover, the amount of time spent on social media has risen to two hours and 26 minutes per day, representing an increase of two minutes from the previous period.
When looking at specific countries, Brazilians spend an average of three hours and 49 minutes daily on social media, while the Japanese spend less than an hour.
On average, social media users are active on seven different platforms. The report identifies WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook (NASDAQ:META) as the top three favorite apps for Meta. In China, the most popular apps are WeChat, TikTok, and its local version, Douyin. Additionally, Twitter, Messenger, and Telegram round out the list of top social media platforms.
On another note, the US Precise Advertiser Report: Kids (PARK) indicates that YouTube remains the dominant platform for children under 12 in the United States, with around 9 out of 10 kids accessing content through the platform, compared to 4 out of 10 for TikTok, despite TikTok’s immense popularity.
In terms of content consumption, 86 per cent of the surveyed kids cited YouTube as their most recent source, followed by 63 per cent for video on demand, 50 per cent for gaming, and 38 per cent for TikTok. Half of the kids who watch YouTube are aware of YouTube Shorts, with a fifth of them having seen YouTube Shorts Ads while watching videos.
Summary
Over 60% of the world’s population, about five billion people, are active on social media, with a 3.7% increase from the previous year. The number of social network users is approaching 5.19 billion, almost two-thirds of the global population. Social media usage varies by region, and the average user spends two hours and 26 minutes per day on these platforms. YouTube remains the top platform for children under 12 in the US, with around 9 out of 10 kids accessing content through it, compared to 4 out of 10 for TikTok.
