Social Media Usage Statistics Worldwide – Survey ResultsNowadays, Social Networking Services (SNS) are platforms where people perform many activities. SNSs enable instant communication with friends and family. Additionally, people can be entertained and can also actively participate in online events among the list.
Because of the varying needs of users, a growing number of SNS platforms have emerged tailored for specific features. This includes Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, and WhatsApp where communication is mainly done through photos and short videos. This Real Research insight gives the results obtained from a survey on the preference of global Social Networking Service (SNS).
Highlights
- Facebook got selected as the most favorite and widely used social networking service worldwide.
- 36.36% prefer watching digital content on YouTube.
- Likewise, 25.26% acknowledged that they mostly use the GSuite SNS platform for work.
- Real Research results show that the main reason why some people do not utilize SNS platforms is that they hate exposing their lives.
- Convenience is the greatest influence when choosing a Social Networking Service to utilize.
Facebook Is the Market Leader in Social Networking Services
The Real Research social media usage survey results reveal that Facebook is the most used social networking service. Specifically, 47.91% note that Facebook is the most utilized SNS in their country.
In detail, social media statistics show that Facebook currently sits at more than 2.79 billion monthly active users. Moreover, Facebook was the first social network to surpass one billion registered accounts. Hence, Facebook takes the lead as the most popular social media 2021.
Following after is YouTube with 20.21% stating that it’s the most used social networking service in their country. In the third position is WhatsApp (16.19%), then Instagram with (5.84). Lastly, in the top 5 list of the most used SNS platforms is Facebook Messenger (5.70%).
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Social Media Giant Facebook, Remains the Top Notch SNS Platform
- The most used when communicating with friends– Facebook once again took the trophy as the most used SNS platform when communicating with friends. Results drawn from the Real Research social media usage survey are Facebook 34.23%, and then WhatsApp 25.10%. Additionally, YouTube 17.87%, Facebook Messenger 10.37%, and Instagram 6.48%.
- When searching for information the majority say they use Facebook. The social media platform easily connects people across the globe. Social media use offers easy access to key information on business, products, services, and so much more. Therefore, most respondents 34.61% search for information on Facebook. Then, YouTube (29.77%), WhatsApp (13.75%), and Facebook Messenger (7.56%).
Figure 2: The top six used SNS platforms when searching for information - Facebook also took the lead as the most favorite platform for daily posts. Social media statistics show that almost a third of the world’s population uses Facebook. Thus, it’s a great platform for daily posts reaching a wider audience. Social media usage statistics for daily posts are Facebook (41.05%) and WhatsApp (16.07%). Additionally, YouTube (17.14%), Instagram (11.40%), and Facebook Messenger (7.94%),
- Overall, Facebook also got selected as the most accessed social media platform. Without a doubt, it is clear that the most popular social media 2021 title goes to Facebook.
36.36% Prefer Watching Digital Content on YouTube
The Real Research social media usage survey asked a question regarding the preferred platform to watch digital content. Interestingly, most respondents (36.36%) note that they prefer using YouTube when watching digital content.
Social media statistics state that 300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. More so, almost 5 billion videos are watched on Youtube every single day. As a result, YouTube is a popular platform for digital content. Following after is Facebook with 30.79% and WhatsApp 12.83%.
On the other hand, GSuite is the most used social networking services platform for work. Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) for Work is a suite of web applications created by Google for businesses. After G Suite is Microsoft Teams (20.60%) and Line works (16.02%).
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Reasons Why People Use SNS Platforms
The pool of social networking services keeps growing over the years. Today every interaction, every entertaining video, advertisement, information, and more are presented via social media.
Therefore, read on and find out why people mostly use SNS platforms.
According to the Real research results, 41.59% use social networking services to communicate with friends. The next group which comprises 17.85% of the respondents uses SNS platforms to talk with family. Following after is 13.90% who say ‘For business purposes’.
Among the other reasons are ‘To leave a trace of my life’ (7.27%), ‘To watch video content’ (7.58%). Also, ‘To search and collect information’ (3.59%) and ‘To listen to music’ (1.64%). As per survey results, the majority 27.79% of the respondents access only one SNS platform on average per day. With a large number spending less than 2 hours.
In contrast, the Real Research social media usage survey asked the greatest reason for not being active on social networking services. Results are as follows:
‘I hate to expose my life’ (35.00%), ‘I don’t feel the need’ (22.35%), and ‘I think there is an excessive amount of unreliable information’ (16.20%). More so, ‘I don’t have time for it’ (6.94%) and ‘I don’t know how to use it’ (2.80%).
Convenience Is the Most Considered Factor for SNS Preferences
There are a number of factors that people place into consideration when selecting their preferred SNS platform. According to the Real Research survey, 34.82% say they consider convenience for SNS preference.
Those who worry about the safeguarding of their data would consider security first. 26.93% state that security has the greatest influence on their preference for SNS platforms. Next is the appropriate protection of personal data (17.80%) and interesting content options for posting (8.89%). Lastly, recommendations from my acquaintances at 1.66%.
In conclusion, it has become easy to build a social network where people all around the globe could connect so easily. Social networking services are platforms for connecting with friends, search for information, search for potential clients, and so much more.
More so, Social media usage statistics show that there are now 4.48 billion social media users around the world. Interestingly, this is equal to almost 57% of the world’s total population. Which means social media use is increasing.
Methodology | |
| Survey Title | Survey on Preference of Global Social Networking Service (SNS) |
| Duration | July 5- July 12, 2021 |
| Number of Participants | 50,000 |
| Demographics | Males and females, aged 21 to 99 |
| Participating Countries | Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Benin, Bolivia, Bosni,… Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, China (Macao), Colombia, Costa Rica, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Libya, Lithuania, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar [Burma], Namibia Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, Slovakia, Somalia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zimbabwe. |
RR Author
Real Research News is the media platform that presents insights and studies of wide-range of topics. It focuses on insights gathered from its survey app.
