Surprising Social Media Statistics – The 2021 Edition

Surprising Social Media Statistics – The 2021 Edition

Social media has come a long way in its short 20-year history. Many thought it might just be a fad, but while many sites have come and gone, the concept of social media remains strong and has become part of the fabric of our global society.

Social media has become even more important over the past year as the Coronavirus pandemic has raged and forced us to rely on digital technologies more than ever, particularly to remain connected with friends and family.

However, while social media’s popularity and significance are not all that surprising, there are lots of other things about social media that will shock you. We’ve compiled all the stats we could find about social media in 2021 that will knock your socks off and remind us all just how important this technology has become.

2021 Social Media Usage

As of January 2021, there were more than 3.96 billion social media users in the world. Considering there are around 7 billion people globally, more than half of the global population is currently using social media in one form or another. Since there are approximately 4.5 billion internet users worldwide, we can also say that around 80 percent of web users also use social media.

In the U.S., this percentage is much higher. Consider these findings from Statista:

Young People LOVE Social Media

It seems natural. After all, today’s youth have been born into a digital world, so it’s not surprising young people are the ones most likely to adopt social media.

However, most of us also know that older people are hip to the social media game too. But have they taken over from young people?

Not yet, but usage is up across the board. Here’s some more data from Pew:

Some more interesting facts:

  • Social media use is roughly equivalent across race, gender, income level, as well as community (urban/suburban).
  • 79 percent of college graduates use at least one social media site, whereas just 60 percent of those with a high school degree or less use social networks.

2021 Daily Social Media Usage

Most people like to use social media at least once a day, but which networks are the most likely to use daily? The most recent data from Pew, which took a look at usage from 2019, found the following breakdown for U.S. social media use by platform.

As you can see, Facebook and Instagram remain the leaders in terms of market penetration.

The most significant changes on this list come from Snapchat and TikTok. Just a year ago, Snapchat was used by around 60 percent of people. This number has fallen to 30 percent, mainly as Instagram has made changes to mimic what Snapchat offered.

It’s moves like this that have helped spur the many lawsuits designed to break up Facebook and its social media empire, a story we should all watch closely in 2021.

On the other hand, Tik Tok is exploding. It would not have made it onto this list just a year ago, but it has become a sensation that is taking the social media world by storm.

Only time will tell if TikTok will suffer a similar fate, but it is the rising start of the social media world for now.

Twitter has nowhere near the market penetration it once had, but it has also kept a firm handle on its niche market. It’s unlikely it will be going anywhere anytime soon, though stranger things have happened.

Social Media and the Covid-19 Pandemic

The outbreak of COVID-19 has changed so much about the world in which we live. Since many of these changes have meant relying on the internet for more than we used to, it should come as no surprise that social media use has changed considerably during this past year.

Here are some surprising stats about social media and the pandemic:

Other Social Media Platforms

We’ve spent a lot of time talking about Facebook, but there are other social media platforms. Indeed, Facebook will probably provide you with the best bang for your buck, but don’t close the door to other options.

2021 YouTube Statistics

  • We watch over 500 billion YouTube videos each day, which accounts for more than 1 billion hours of YouTube videos each day.
  • 400 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute.
  • There are around 1.3 billion people who use YouTube regularly.
  • TrueView, YouTube’s proprietary advertising, can be highly effective for brands. Viewers who watched a TrueView ad to the end were 23 times more likely to complete the action you want them to complete, and they are still ten times more likely even if they don’t watch the whole ad.

2021 Instagram Statistics

2021 TikTok Statistics

  • Tik Tok has more than 600 million active users, up from just under 30 million less than two years ago. It is now one of the most popular social media sites in the world.
  • Around 13 million new videos get uploaded to TikTok every single day.
  • After launching as primarily a Chinese social media site, 42 percent of TikTok’s monthly revenue now comes from the U.S.
  • TikTok is very popular among teens, and 14 percent of young adult internet users in the U.S. are on Tik Tok.
  • TikTok has high engagement levels; 56 percent of TikTok users open the app at least once a day.

2021 LinkedIn Statistics

2021 Twitter Statistics

Facebook Dominates

The Pew Study referenced above showed that a larger percentage of people used YouTube than Facebook, suggesting that YouTube may be making a run for the top spot.

However, when we look a little more closely at how people are using each network, it becomes quite clear that Facebook is still the dominant force in the market.

Facebook Is The Most Popular

From the previously mentioned Pew Report, here is a breakdown of the popularity of different sites based on the percentage of the population that uses them:

  • Facebook (74 percent)
  • YouTube (73 percent)
  • Instagram (63 percent)
  • Twitter (42 percent)
  • TikTok – (35 percent)
  • Pinterest (28 percent)
  • Snapchat (24 percent)
  • LinkedIn (27 percent)

This was the first year Pew included YouTube in the study, and most reports on social media use don’t include it, asthere is some debate as to whether YouTube really is a social media network.

Facebook Is Where People Spend Most of Their Social Media Time

For further proof of the dominance of Facebook, here are some stats taken from Comscore’s Digital Future in Focus Report:

  • Facebook reaches approximately 97 percent of people between the ages of 18-34, and each person spends more than 1,000 minutes a month on the site.
  • Its closest competitor is Instagram (which it owns), but Instagram reaches just a little less than 65 percent of people aged 18-34, and each user only spends around 350 minutes on the site per month.
  • Snapchat only reaches 38 percent of people, but they spend more time using it than Instagram, spending around 400 minutes per month on the site/app. However, research indicates that Snapchat is growing in terms of reach and usage, so it will be interesting to see how things change moving forward.
  • LinkedIn only captures about 52 percent of people between ages 18 and 34, but most don’t spend any time on the site at all.
  • Pinterest gets about 40 percent of people, and they spend just a little less than 200 minutes on the site each month.

This particular study looked at people aged 18-34 in the United States. Still, other studies that look at the larger population have found similar results regarding Facebook’s dominance of the social media space.

Here’s some data that breaks down where people are spending their time when they’re on social media:

The big shocker on this list is TikTok, which has rapidly become the social media site where people spend most of their time. If we consider that YouTube is next, we can start to see a pattern: sites heavy on video tend to keep people engaged for longer.

 

The big shocker on this list is TikTok, which has rapidly become the social media site where people spend most of their time. If we consider that YouTube is next, we can start to see a pattern: sites heavy on video tend to keep people engaged for longer.

Nevertheless, TikTok is growing rapidly in terms of the number of users it has and how much time people are spending on the site. Perhaps Facebook, which has traditionally dominated both of these categories, should start looking over its shoulder. Or, not so fast??

Facebook Keeps People Coming Back

The following data, which comes from the Forrester Data Digest, shows that the people using Facebook tend to be heavy users. This means that there are lots of opportunities to interact with people on Facebook.

  • In a given month, 63 percent of people will access the Facebook app. They go onto the app an average of 15 days per month, and they will access it on average five times per day.
  • Instagram’s penetration (the amount of people who access the app) is just 27 percent. Those users access the app on average 11 times per month, and the average daily access is six times per day.
  • Twitter’s penetration is 22 percent, with people accessing the site 7.5 times per month and five times per day.

These numbers may not be as jarring, but they help reinforce this idea: Facebook is still on top of the social media world, and it will take a near miracle for that to change.

The Takeaway

With so many social media options to choose from, it’s easy to get distracted. Instagram indeed offers you the chance to showcase great photos and look cool, and it’s also true that Snapchat is rapidly becoming more popular, especially among young people.

Yet, don’t let this distract you from the following truth: Facebook is still on top.

As a result, businesses should still be spending most of their time trying to boost reach and engagement on social media by using Facebook.

Social Media Around the World in 2021

Globally, there were 3.96 billion social media users in 2021, which is 18 percent higher than the year before, according to We Are Social.

Also, from We Are Social, the places where social media use is growing the fastest are:

  • Saudi Arabia (32 percent)
  • India (31 percent)
  • Indonesia (23 percent)
  • Ghana (22 percent)
  • South Africa (20 percent)
  • Vietnam (20 percent)

Conclusion

Overall, the social media landscape is constantly changing. However, there are a couple of constants:

  • Social media is growing around the world. Exactly how that growth will look remains to be seen, but we can expect more from social networks moving forward.
  • Facebook is still the dominant force. This may change, but it’s not likely in the immediate future.

It will be interesting to see how 2021 continues to shape the world of social media. It’s been a wild ride until now, so we can only expect more of the same.

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Instagram Trends for 2018

Instagram Trends for 2018

SOCIAL MEDIA
Instagram Trends for 2018
Nick Rojas, Blog Contributor
Dec 27, 2017
Every year we see wondrous new things across all social media platforms. In fact, stunning new developments seem to be a requirement if you want to be a player in the social media site game. This high tech, low contact form of interaction has been around long enough and has become widespread enough that it has managed to become an integral part of not only social aspects of the lives of its users but the business aspect as well. Whether you are hoping your make-up tutorials get you discovered, your DIY holiday centerpiece gets over 1000 likes, or to increase revenue for your business, social media has quickly become the cornerstone of accomplishing… well, almost anything.
Instagram has now reached over 800,000 users and that number is on the rise. Bloggers and vloggers from the far corners of the Earth seem to have settled on Instagram as THE app to use to promote your business, your YouTube channel, your micro-company, and just about anything else you can imagine. The influencers are flocking to Instagram. If you are interested in the new and upcoming social media trends that we are going to see from Instagramming 2018, pause that Snapchat story, ignore that post from David Avocado Wolfe on your news feed, and read on.

Instagram Stories

This popular Instagram feature is only about a year old. Its immediate rise to popularity is indicative of an upward trend in video content. Instagram stories will continue to be refined and video content and quality will continually improve. The story feature is already being utilized by several niche markets and, as a result, companies are going to want to partner with influencers who are comfortable reaching out to their market in this way. The site’s algorithms are even being redone to include videos receiving more updates and thereby becoming the more promoted posts. In order to receive higher engagement rates, companies will have to get comfortable in front of the camera if they want to stay competitive on social media platforms.

Sandwiching

According to an article on digiday.com, sandwiching is “strategically placing promoted posts between imagery forecasted to have high rates of engagement, based on existing data.” Influencers accomplish this by taking a post and publishing it in between two posts that they know from experience will have high engagement, such as a post for a contest and a post for a giveaway. This new trend comes on the heels of the new algorithm that Instagram has implemented, which left a lot of brand owners wondering why so many of their posts were suddenly receiving such low engagement. While this current attempt to beat the system has proven successful, Instagram surely has lots of other nooks and crannies where future surprises are hiding.

Shopping

Since late in 2016, it has been possible to shop directly from within the Instagram app itself through a feature known as “shoppable photos”. This capability was limited, however, as the shoppable feature was only used by certain brands.The feature went through extensive testing by Shopify throughout 2017 and in 2018 this feature is really expected to take off, with only a few minor limitations this time. Merchants can only sell physical products like food, clothes, books, toys, art, stationery, and electronics. There is a limit of five tagged items total in new and old posts combined.

It’s a smart bet that these three trends will not be the only ones you see blow up on Instagram in 2018, but these are definitely they three you will need to know about in order to increase your brand recognition and drive your company’s sales upward. With all of these brand new app innovations, cell phone companies are developing increasingly higher tech phones in order to keep up with the current market. Given the right combination of cell phone capability and social media know how any aspect of any business will soon be able to be accomplished from anywhere.
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Instagram Marketing for the Holidays

Instagram Marketing for the Holidays

Instagram Marketing for the Holidays

Instagram provides excellent digital marketing opportunities, and many small businesses use it to raise awareness of their products and services. That said, Instagram marketing can be an extremely competitive space, especially during major shopping seasons. If you want to stand out from your competition on Instagram during the holidays this year, you might want to brush up on your knowledge of how to use the app as a promotional tool. We have some tips that can help you begin.

Put a Holiday Theme in Your Profile

Your Instagram profile is somewhat akin to the homepage on your website—it’s the first screen users will see when they click on your name, just like your homepage is (usually) the first screen they’ll see if they click on a link to your site. Would you change your website to reflect a seasonal trend? Probably, so you should do the same thing for your profile. Try updating your bio with a brief holiday message, like this.

Run Smart Holiday Instagram Ads

Instagram provides excellent digital marketing opportunities, and many small businesses use it to raise awareness of their products and services. That said, Instagram marketing can be an extremely competitive space, especially during major shopping seasons. If you want to stand out from your competition on Instagram during the holidays this year, you might want to brush up on your knowledge of how to use the app as a promotional tool. We have some tips that can help you begin.

Ads are a pretty new feature on Instagram, so a lot of people are still figuring out how to make the most of them. You can beat them to the (holiday) punch by being clever about the ads you place. Instagram ads are partnered with Facebook ads, but it’s a mistake to forget that these are separate platforms requiring different approaches. Consider using ad formats that perform especially well on Instagram specifically, like carousel ads and videos. Engagement for video posts on Instagram has risen by 53% in the last year alone, beating the growth rate for photo engagement. Just make sure that you have the available capital to place an ad that will reach a substantial audience… and remember to put some holiday content in your videos—maybe a carol or two?

Connect with Influencers who Thrive During the Holidays

Influencer marketing remains one of the most effective ways to reach Instagram users. The most successful profiles on Instagram aren’t businesses—they’re individual influencers and celebrities. Still, a lot of businesses waste time trying to figure out how they can convince an influencer to plug their products or services when the answer should be obvious: just hire them. Since influencers can often achieve up to 16 times more engagement than paid media, hiring one normally proves cost-effective in the long run.

Some Instagram-based holiday marketing strategies are easy and inexpensive, but most require a certain investment of capital as well as time. To make sure you can afford to overhaul your Instagram for the holidays, look at practical short-term borrowing options. Taking out a working capital loan to fund your next ad campaign can be a smart choice, especially since the average consumer spent nearly $1000 extra last season. The more eager shoppers you net with your marketing this year, the easier it will be to pay off debts and collect substantial profits.

Social media has provided small businesses with many versatile options for digital marketing during the holidays. Whether you make small adjustments to your profile or invest in major campaigns through ads and influencers, this time of year represents an opportunity you won’t want to miss.

Thanks to Nick Rojas for his guest blog post. Follow Nick Rojas on Twitter

Nick Rojas is a business consultant and journalist who lives in Chicago and his hometown Los Angeles with his wife. His work often discusses social media, marketing, and branding in regards to small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Instagram Adds New Feature – Account Switching

Instagram Adds New Feature – Account Switching

10 Awesome WordPress User Statistics

The WordPress User Statistics are in. Guess what? You’re not alone! There are over 60 million websites using the WordPress platform, and the numbers continue to grow. With statistics like that, you know you can’t go wrong with a WordPress website.

Our post will show you 10 awesome WordPress user statistics. We explain the top 10  most popular reasons why people use it for their business (big or small) or personal blog.

According to Hosting Tribunal

  • WordPress powers 39.6% of the internet in 2021, a growth of nearly 5% from 35% in 2020, and a 4% rise from the year before.

  • If you count only the CMS-built sites, then 64.1% of them are WordPress – 4% growth from 2020.

  • Over 400 million people visit WordPress sites each month.

  • In 2016, nearly 118 billion words were published on WordPress

  • But WordPress is not only for blogging – nearly 28% of all e-commerce goes through WooCommerce

  • 281 new WooCommerce shops appear on average every day

  • 661 WordPress sites also pop up daily

  • WordPress.org offers over 50,000 plugins and over 4,100 GPL-licensed themes

  • In 2018, the non-English WordPress downloads were more than the English ones

  • WordPress has been around since 2003

WordPress is, by far, the most popular content management system in the world and one of the most popular blogging platforms. These WordPress statistics prove that its popularity is driven not only by its relatively low costs and simplicity but also by factors like the wide choice of plugins and themes, availability of language packs, security, and SEO-friendliness. With such a powerful platform behind it – including over 60% market share for CMSs alone – you may be wondering how to get started with this tool?

The quickest way to do so would be through our website development service (powered by Queen Bee Media!), which offers everything from domain registration to web hosting all wrapped up into an easy-to-use interface.

If you want more information on what we offer contact us today by scheduling a free consultation or fill out our free estimate form.

 

10 Awesome WordPress Statistics

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