A new report from social media management platform Hootsuite and creative agency We Are Social shared some key insights on social media usage and preferences across the globe.
The Digital 2022 April Global Statshot Report highlighted that there are now five billion internet users across the globe, corresponding to that 63 per cent of the world’s total population. Despite this, there were still 2.9 billion (37 per cent) who are still not online.
“As global internet adoption grows, we’re seeing increased access to information, social media and technology,” said Maggie Lower, CMO, Hootsuite. “This growth is powerful, and I’m excited to continue following the steady increase in internet adoption and its impact on how people connect through its various mediums—including social.”
The report also highlighted the increase in social media users by more than 30 million since the start of 2022, with over 4.65 billion social media users around the world today. However, it was noted that social media growth has slowed over the past three months when compared to the increase in quarterly growth at the onset of the pandemic.
It also noted that seven in 10 Facebook users say that they use the platform to communicate with friends and family, making this the most popular activity on Facebook. Meanwhile, only 15 per cent of TikTok’s users say that they use the platform for this method of communication, though it is not surprising that the majority (77 percent) of TikTok’s users say that they use the platform to look for funny and entertaining content.
The report noted as well that Instagram and Snapchat users appear to be most interested in publishing their own content, with 69.9 per cent of Instagram users saying they publish photos and videos to Instagram, compared with 33.9 per cent of TikTok users who post videos to the platform. Staying up to date with news and current events is the leading platform activity among LinkedIn and Twitter users
“For marketers who are looking to develop a more robust social strategy, it’s important to recognise that users across different social media platforms have their own use cases for each channel,” added Lower. “Brands don’t need to be active and curate content for every single social media channel to be successful. Rather, successful marketing teams should identify the top platforms that attract an audience that resonates with their brand and lean into engaging with them.”
Despite the prevalence of social media, the report also revealed that email remains the primary mode of communication online, with almost 95 per cent saying that email remains an essential part of their working life.
Another insight revealed in the report is that eight in 10 B2B decision-makers stated that social media plays an influential role in their research on the B2B buyer journey, surpassing traditional online and offline channels such as trade press outlets.
The decision-makers also said they were more likely to use Facebook (61.4 per cent), Instagram (53.6 per cent) and WhatsApp (48.9 per cent) than LinkedIn (36.9 per cent) when researching potential B2B suppliers and partners. TikTok emerged as a resource in the B2B world as well, with 13.9 per cent saying that they visit the platform when researching potential vendors.
