One-third of global population will use social media in 2017
One-third of the global population, or 2.46 billion people, will access the internet at least once a month this year, a rise of 8.2% compared with 2016, according to a report by eMarketer. It cited increased adoption of mobile phones and broader mobile coverage as the driving forces behind the figures, and revealed 81.8% of social network users will log on via a mobile in 2017, a number set to rise to 86.7% by 2021. EMarketer said it had "significantly raised its estimates" for China regarding the number of its social media users and also predicted an increase in India.

Executive Summary

Two opposing developments sum up the state of social network usage in 2022: slowing global growth after unexpected pandemic gains and the rise of TikTok as a major force in social media. The intersection of these trends means that future growth for the main social platforms will come not from wooing first-time users but, increasingly, from stealing each other’s.

3 KEY QUESTIONS THIS REPORT WILL ANSWER:

What factors are driving a slowdown in global social network user growth in 2022?

How many users will TikTok have worldwide, and how much of a threat will it be to the rest of the Big Five: Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter?

How should marketers and their agency partners adapt their social media strategies to take advantage of shifting usage patterns?

WHAT’S IN THIS REPORT? This report presents our latest forecasts for global social network users through 2025 and identifies the top usage trends for Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and Twitter.