For entrepreneurs and analysis professionals, the social media panorama might be inspiring – and overwhelming. Social media statistics change so quickly it may be an actual problem maintaining. That’s not precisely splendid for anybody hoping to make use of their social media knowhow to help decision-making and profit from their funds.
If that sounds acquainted, assistance is at hand. Our international media panorama 2024 report and abstract of social media developments in 2024 are filled with important insights. Now, to make your life even simpler, we’ve created this weblog protecting 2024’s must-know social media statistics, providing you with the insights it’s essential outline technique, drive progress, and enhance ROI.
Listed below are the questions we’ll reply:
What are the most well-liked social media platforms?
What are individuals utilizing social media for?
Why is short-form video content material hotting up, huge time?
What do youthful generations need from social media?
How a lot is social media impacting psychological well being?
What’s social media’s position in model discovery?
Why is social media livestreaming so huge in APAC?
Do social media customers actually belief influencers?
Social media and the US election – what’s occurring?
What social content material works finest on what channel?
1. What are the most well-liked social media platforms?
Let’s begin with some key social media statistics on the most well-liked platforms du jour.
There are clear winners within the race for social media world domination, and maybe not surprisingly they fluctuate by age.
Our knowledge reveals Fb remains to be the worldwide chief for month-to-month engagement amongst millennials, Gen X, and child boomers. It even ranks in Gen Z’s prime three platforms, dispelling the parable that youthful teams are ditching their accounts.
Speaking of Gen Z, for those who assume they spend all their time on TikTok, assume once more. It’s really Gen Alpha who like TikTok most, with 22% saying it’s their favourite social media platform.
Gen Z do have a singular social media footprint, although. Instagram is each their most-used app, and the one they’re almost definitely to say they’ve talked about lately in an actual life dialog – which leads properly to our subsequent level.
Reputation and energy aren’t fairly the identical factor, and types ought to contemplate which to prioritize when deciding their mixture of social channels.
Reputation will increase the probabilities of a model’s merchandise and messages being seen, whereas energy improves the probabilities of them being talked about by shoppers. Fortunately they’re not mutually unique. If manufacturers share compelling tales on social platforms that spark dialog and suggestion in the actual world, they’re getting the most effective of each.
2. What are individuals utilizing social media for?
Social media statistics present that the way in which individuals devour information is altering. Maybe surprisingly, extra shoppers say they observe information influencers than style equivalents, and there’s been an uptick in individuals utilizing social platforms to maintain up with present occasions. Plainly with belief within the mainstream media dwindling, persons are searching for info elsewhere.
Regardless of this, “staying in contact with family and friends” is the highest motive for utilizing social – proof that regardless of the blizzard of selling content material flooding our feeds, the social aspect of social media remains to be going robust. Past “staying in contact”, older teams are likely to observe information tales on social channels, with youthful teams extra serious about busting boredom.
Earlier than we transfer on, let’s get particular and break all this down by technology.
3. Why is short-form video content material hotting up, huge time?
It goes with out saying that completely different content material works finest on completely different social channels – however the affect of short-form video throughout the worldwide media panorama has been huge. TikTok is lower than a decade outdated, but social media statistics present it competes in the identical leagues as Netflix and YouTube relating to month-to-month engagement.
Proper now, TikTok is the market chief for short-form content material, however undoubtedly isn’t the one participant on the town. Instagram and YouTube have taken benefit of their huge consumer bases to launch their very own short-form options, each of which have change into highly regarded.
The variety of Instagrammers utilizing Reels has grown by over 50% within the final three years.
And with a good few LinkedIn customers saying they watch movies on the app, plainly even the enterprise networking web site is following go well with.
By way of subjects, short-form video scores huge in sports activities, with highlights being the only fastest-growing content material kind within the US.
Whereas 2024’s Tremendous Bowl broke all types of reside TV viewing data, 25% of Gen Z and millennial viewers additionally stored up with the sport through updates on social media. And simply as brief clips have helped make some lesser-known music artists well-liked, they’re additionally carving out a much bigger area for rising sports activities.
Social movies – usually film trailers – also needs to be on the movie trade’s radar. Business leaders like The Boxoffice Community hope that by giving social scrollers some tasty snippets they’ll go to cinemas or stream from dwelling extra, and it appears to be working. In comparison with different US Instagram customers, those that watch Reels and film trailers on social media are 23% extra more likely to say they go to film theaters a minimum of month-to-month.
4. What do youthful generations need from social media?
Gen Alpha are rising up, and with age comes company. Increasingly Gen Alpha are saying they get a way of which manufacturers and merchandise they like from social media. The truth is, there’s been an 11% year-on-year rise within the variety of teenagers who say discovering issues to purchase is one in all their primary causes for utilizing social.
Many manufacturers can be smart to start out chatting with and constructing bonds with Gen Alpha right this moment, however they should do it in a manner that doesn’t danger damaging their popularity. Just lately the phenomena of “Sephora youngsters” noticed a barely worrying rise in youthful individuals shopping for anti-aging serums and lotions designed for considerably older adults. This pattern has even pushed a Swedish pharmacy chain to start out ID’ing its skincare patrons.
Shifting up the age vary, Gen Z are driving a shift towards inspiration-seeking searches on social media – particularly on Pinterest. They’re huge into utilizing temper boards to collate their findings; 47% of Pinners say they use the app for type inspiration, virtually as many for dwelling décor/design concepts, and 18% for wedding ceremony/occasion inspo. These boards in the end give Gen Z shoppers what they need – freedom, personalization and a group they will belong to.
Manufacturers can make the most of the recognition of temper boards, and create merchandise that match the trending vibe. For instance, in late 2023 – after noticing that Pinterest customers have been pinning photos of David and Victoria Beckham from the Nineties carrying saggy parachute pants – Jaded London launched a model of their very own, and have since offered over 200,000 pairs.
5. How a lot is social media impacting psychological well being?
Let’s not be coy; social media will get a nasty press for its supposed unfavourable affect on psychological well being. However is that honest? Our analysis reveals that within the US, solely 13% say that’s really the case.
Amongst those that do say it’s had a unfavourable affect, the highest factor individuals really feel is guilt about losing time scrolling (50%). That is adopted by feeling hopeless concerning the state of the world (47%) and elevated emotions of hysteria (43%).
However from a world perspective, social media statistics present extra individuals assume social media is nice for society (37%).
The variety of shoppers who say social media causes them anxiousness is down 11% since 2021.
With extra individuals utilizing social media as a technique to discover the world, whether or not that’s maintaining with the information, discovering merchandise to purchase, or being entertained, social platforms may work on their algorithms to steadiness the publicity of unfavourable information with extra constructive, uplifting tales.
6. What’s social media’s position in model discovery?
Search engines like google and yahoo are most likely the primary instrument you consider for product or model discovery. Whereas which may have been true as soon as, social media statistics present that discovery journeys have modified.
Discovering new concepts or inspiration has change into a extra essential motive for utilizing social media. Gen Z particularly just like the custom-made outcomes they get on social platforms.
Immediately, extra shoppers uncover merchandise through advertisements on social media, updates on a model’s social pages, or social media suggestions, than through engines like google. When mixed, these strategies have quite a lot of affect, to the extent that social media has change into a form of “pseudo search engine” for model discovery.
It’s not laborious to see why; utilizing social, individuals can uncover, analysis, share, and purchase multi functional place. Over 50% of shoppers who’ve purchased an merchandise on TikTok Store say they bought from a model or vendor they found utilizing it.
The purpose is, manufacturers ought to intention to create visually partaking content material that conjures up their target market to discover, with these in sure sectors standing to learn from social media’s more and more subtle ecommerce instruments.
7. Why is social media livestreaming so huge in APAC?
Most social media platforms supply livestreaming, with over 20% of social media customers worldwide saying it’s their primary motive for logging on. However APAC markets take curiosity in livestreaming to an entire new stage.
One motive may be that APAC shoppers are used to doing many day-to-day duties on their smartphones. They’re extra seemingly than the common international client to make use of them to order groceries, ship cash, and even take health courses, so it’s no huge shock additionally they work together with influencers and types through livestreams, and are big followers of reside buying.
Customers in APAC are 51% extra seemingly than the worldwide common to have purchased one thing throughout a reside buying occasion.
For a lot of manufacturers, reside buying yields particularly excessive ROI as a result of it’s a sociable expertise that fosters emotions of inclusivity and involvement, which might translate into greater gross sales. APAC social media customers are additionally extra more likely to advocate on-line for manufacturers that supply reside buying experiences
The lesson is evident: APAC-based manufacturers – and worldwide manufacturers with prospects on this area – ought to maintain their shoppers’ urge for food for livestreaming front-of-mind, whereas Western manufacturers contemplating this expertise ought to look to APAC’s success for finest observe suggestions.
8. Do social media customers actually belief influencers?
A latest Hubspot survey revealed that fifty% of entrepreneurs who collaborate with influencers plan to spice up their investments in 2024. However is the juice definitely worth the squeeze?
Whereas there was a small climb within the variety of social media customers saying they observe influencers manner again in 2020-21 (really +6%), social media statistics have stayed fairly constant ever since, an indication that progress isn’t rising on the charge of marketer investments.
That mentioned, some markets are nonetheless seeing larger and newer jumps in influencer engagement. The proportion of social media customers following influencers in nations just like the US, Eire, and South Korea has hit or handed the 25% mark, a powerful milestone.
Influencer followers are an viewers with quite a lot of buy intent. They’re 45% extra more likely to say they use social networks to search out merchandise to purchase than the common social media consumer, and 24% extra more likely to have really purchased a services or products on-line within the final week.
Additionally, whereas youthful generations are the almost definitely to observe influencers, the variety of child boomers who say they do is rising sooner.
The variety of child boomers who observe influencers has climbed 17% since This fall 2022.
However how highly effective is influencer advertising actually? The reply may be shocking for anybody who assumes influencers rule the roost. Globally, simply 13% of shoppers say “influencer suggestions” are the factor that might most enhance their probability of shopping for a product on-line, in comparison with 40% who say “reductions”.
This implies influencer advertising ought to typically be a complement to a model’s gross sales and advertising technique, not the principle occasion, and that it must be approached strategically. Given the present financial system, maybe it’s not too shocking that worth/worth are the highest motivators moderately than influencer protection.
On the similar time, 84% who purchase from influencers say they keep away from utilizing their affiliate hyperlinks a minimum of a number of the time and like visiting a model’s official web site. Providing a reduction code personalised to the influencer may help incentivize direct purchases, and undoubtedly helps manufacturers monitor ROI on their influencer funding, however once more the facility of influencers over real-world buy habits is decrease than the hype would recommend.
However let’s say you’ve determined to check out an influencer anyway. With extra Gen Zers figuring out as influencers/creators than healthcare staff, the expertise pool for manufacturers to select from is large. The correct alternative will rely upon funds, providing, and objectives.
To evaluate all this it’s a good suggestion for manufacturers to create an total scorecard for every influencer they’re contemplating, measuring issues like their engagement metrics and the consistency of their messaging, not simply their follower rely.
Not surprisingly, influencer affect varies by sector. Regardless of being low-investment objects, shopping for haircare, skincare, and make-up are the place influencer trustworthiness issues most. However even right here, influencer affect has its limits, rating third behind “worth for cash” and “model popularity” amongst all influencer-driven patrons.
9. Social media and the US election – what’s occurring?
We’ve already talked about the rise of individuals consuming information on social, however let’s flip our consideration to the 2024 US presidential election that’s quick approaching. With extra Individuals turning to social media – particularly short-form movies – to maintain up with the information, this election cycle guarantees to be like no different.
50% of US Gen Z and millennials have consumed info on US politics on social media within the final month.
You’ll have seen a rising skepticism towards politics typically, one thing the emergence of generative AI isn’t serving to. Deepfake pictures and calls have already reared their ugly head on this election cycle, so it’s no surprise social media statistics present that over half of American shoppers have some concern over AI’s affect on each election campaigns and information tales.
No surprise then, that there’s been a 26% drop in US shoppers who say they belief the media utterly/rather a lot since 2020. Issues round misinformation are likely to rise earlier than each election. However, US publishers and content material creators have a chance to realize new followers and increase loyalty within the months forward utilizing a number of the strategies we outlined in our 2024 client developments report, Connecting the dots.
So, what precisely can they do?
A 3rd of Individuals who devour political content material on social media say they’d interact extra if there was third-party verification of claims. They don’t thoughts concepts that problem their beliefs – some actively search it – however they do need clear, correct, and verifiable content material as they scroll their manner by means of this election cycle. And who can blame them?
10. What social content material works finest on what channel?
It’s essential to recollect every app has its personal distinctive tradition and viewers expectations. Social media statistics present it’s not a good suggestion to submit the identical stuff in all places. As a substitute, manufacturers ought to tweak content material to mirror the expectations of every viewers.
For instance, LinkedIn customers need content material that’s progressive, unique, and daring. They don’t need routine posts that lack a transparent voice – they need to see compelling thought management. Manufacturers utilizing LinkedIn to advertise themselves have to bear this in thoughts, maybe by sharing insights that few are conscious of, or providing a recent perspective on a well-known subject.
On X (previously Twitter, as for those who didn’t know), manufacturers presenting themselves as stylish do effectively, but it surely’s a barely completely different story over on Reddit. Whereas their customers nonetheless crave daring content material, what they actually need is for manufacturers to be genuine. Redditors downvote any advertising posts that really feel misplaced, so manufacturers ought to give attention to creating content material for a particular subcommunity, moderately than utilizing the app as a discussion board for present content material.
The purpose is every platform has its personal tradition and viewers expectations. Manufacturers want to make use of the newest social media statistics to grasp these nuances and tailor their content material to go well with every area. Repurpose content material by all means, but it surely’s important to take the time to fine-tune it. That’s the important thing to knocking your social media technique out of the park.
