Social media platforms have become an integral part of everyday life for people around the world. From keeping in touch with friends and family to discovering news and trends, social media allows users to connect, share, and communicate through online networks and communities. With so many social media options to choose from, which platform reigns supreme in terms of widespread use and popularity? Let’s take a closer look at some of the top contenders.
When it comes to social media dominance, Facebook stands out as the platform with the highest number of active monthly users. As of the third quarter of 2022, Facebook had around 2.96 billion monthly active users worldwide. The network was founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and his college classmates and has grown exponentially over the past two decades. Some key factors behind Facebook’s immense popularity include:
- Being one of the first major social networks to gain traction online.
- Allowing users to conveniently stay in touch with friends and family.
- Featuring capabilities like photo/video sharing, messaging, groups, and public content posting/engagement.
- Expanding beyond the core Facebook app through acquisitions of services like Instagram, WhatsApp, and Oculus.
Despite some declines in its userbase in certain age demographics and markets, Facebook still maintains an unparalleled global reach. It is accessible across both desktop and mobile devices, helping cement its position as the most ubiquitously used social media platform worldwide.
YouTube
With over 2 billion monthly logged-in users, YouTube comes close to matching Facebook in terms of popularity and widespread use. YouTube was created in 2005 as a video-sharing platform and acquired by Google in 2006. Some factors behind YouTube’s success include:
- Being the first major platform to host and share user-generated video content.
- Offering a seemingly endless amount of video content for entertainment, education, inspiration, etc.
- Featuring content creators from all over the world across every imaginable genre and topic.
- Allowing commenting and content creation access to all users.
- Integrating smoothly across devices and platforms like mobile, tablets, smart TVs, and more.
YouTube’s massive collection of videos keeps users coming back while also creating opportunities for viral content to catch on. Even with competing services like TikTok emerging, YouTube remains the leader in hosting longer-form video content from established creators and brands.
As one of the most popular messaging apps globally, WhatsApp also ranks among the most widely used social media platforms with approximately 2 billion monthly active users. WhatsApp launched in 2009 as a cross-platform messaging and voice over IP service. Key highlights of WhatsApp include:
- Offering free, encrypted messaging and calling functions.
- Featuring group chat capabilities supporting up to 256 users per group.
- Ability to share photos, videos, documents, and other media seamlessly.
- Minimalistic user interface for easy navigation.
- Acquired by Facebook in 2014 but continues operating as standalone app.
WhatsApp is especially dominant as a messaging app in regions like Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Its acquired company status gives WhatsApp access to Facebook’s resources while still retaining its brand independence and focus on messaging services.
As another social media platform under the Facebook company umbrella, Instagram has quickly emerged as a major player in the social media landscape with over 1 billion monthly active users. Instagram started in 2010 as a photo-sharing app focused on the mobile experience. Some standout statistics for Instagram include:
- Over 90% of Instagram users are under the age of 35, making it hugely popular with Millennials and Gen Z.
- Immediately gained traction by being exclusively mobile-based during mobile social media’s rise.
- Photo and video sharing features that fostered creativity and self-expression.
- Influential suggested user feature that helps Instagram content reach new audiences.
- Purchase by Facebook in 2012 for $1 billion which accelerated its growth.
Instagram remains one of the top social networks by effectively adapting to and evolving with changing trends like short-form video and shopping integration while maintaining its identity as a vibrant visual platform.
As a platform focused on public microblogging and conversation through short messages known as tweets, Twitter has cemented itself as a breaking news and discussion leader. Key interesting facts about Twitter include:
- Twitter was created in 2006 and has around 237 million monetizable daily active users as of Q2 2022.
- 82% of Twitter’s daily active users access it on mobile devices.
- Tweets were originally restricted to 140 characters before the limit was doubled to 280 characters in 2017.
- The hashtag concept originated from Twitter to easily track topics and conversations.
- Major public figures from celebrities to politicians leverage Twitter to directly engage with the public.
While Twitter has a significantly smaller userbase than platforms like Facebook and YouTube, its influence is as substantial as its userbase is vocal. Twitter’s role as a real-time news and discussion forum solidifies its status as a leading social network.
As a visual discovery platform for recipes, fashion, travel, DIY projects, and more, Pinterest occupies a unique niche in the social media landscape. Fun facts on Pinterest include:
- Pinterest was founded in 2010 and went public in 2019, reaching a market cap of over $50 billion.
- The platform has over 400 million monthly active users, over 200 billion total Pins, and more than 4 billion monthly searches.
- 61% of users say they rely on Pinterest when deciding what to buy.
- 93% of weekly Pinterest users say they have discovered new brands or products on Pinterest.
- Pinterest drives more external website referral traffic than any other social network.
Pinterest has carved out an engaging, visually oriented space that connects its millions of users to content covering their interests and hobbies. The platform’s influence in driving product discovery, recommendations, and shopping-related decisions is unmatched in the social space.
TikTok
As the short-form video app that has taken the world by storm, TikTok merits discussion as a rapidly growing social media platform. Key TikTok highlights include:
- TikTok launched in 2016 internationally before becoming available in the US in 2018 after acquiring and merging with lip-syncing app Musical.ly.
- TikTok was one of the most downloaded apps in 2020 and continues to see tremendous growth, especially among younger users.
- The app makes creating, sharing, and discovering short videos incredibly easy and addictive with its intuitive interface.
- TikTok had over 1 billion monthly active users globally as of September 2021.
- TikTok’s parent company ByteDance is now the world’s most valuable privately held company, estimated at over $400 billion.
While doubts remain about how long TikTok’s popularity will last, the app’s current cultural significance and userbase size cement its status as a major social media force to be reckoned with.
Snapchat
Snapchat brought a unique concept to social media when it launched in 2011 by focusing on disappearing photo, video, and text messages or “Snaps” that added an element of ephemerality. Interesting Snapchat stats include:
- Snapchat sees over 5 billion Snaps created by users per day.
- There are over 250 million daily active Snapchat users and 500 million monthly active users as of Q4 2021.
- Over 40% of Snapchat users are between 18-24 years old.
- Users spend an average of over 30 minutes on Snapchat every day.
- Augmented reality technology and lenses are a key part of Snapchat’s appeal and popularity.
Snapchat has evolved beyond just being a messaging app, adding more ways for users to create and engage with multimedia content. The platform’s hold among younger demographics coupled with its immersive AR experiences make Snapchat a formidable social network.
Comparison of User Statistics
To visually compare the userbases of major social media platforms, here is a table of each platform’s estimated monthly active users as of Q3 2022 unless otherwise noted:
| Social Media Platform | Monthly Active Users |
|---|---|
| 2.96 billion | |
| YouTube | Over 2 billion |
| 2 billion | |
| 1 billion | |
| TikTok | Over 1 billion (as of Sept 2021) |
| 1.29 billion (Q2 2022) | |
| Douyin (TikTok China) | 600 million (as of Sept 2021) |
| 548 million | |
| QZone | 483 million |
| 430 million | |
| Snapchat | 500 million (monthly) |
| 237 million (monetizable daily) | |
| 433 million | |
| Telegram | 550 million (monthly) |
| Discord | 140 million (monthly) |
The Verdict
Based on monthly active users, Facebook clearly leads as the most widely used social media platform worldwide. However, YouTube comes close to matching Facebook’s reach. And among younger demographics, platforms like TikTok and Snapchat certainly rival the monthly users of historically dominant networks like Twitter and Pinterest.
Each major social media platform tends to serve a slightly different primary purpose, from sharing visual content to messaging to discussing and discovering news. People often engage with multiple platforms depending on their needs and interests. But the ubiquity of platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and WhatsApp across all age groups gives them an unparalleled advantage in terms of widespread continuous use.
In emerging markets like India, China, and parts of Southeast Asia and Africa, locally developed social platforms like TikTok, WeChat, and ShareChat dominate daily usage over Western services. As global internet access continues growing, demographic shifts could drive changes in the ranking of the world’s most used social media networks.
Ultimately, Facebook and YouTube appear poised to maintain their standing as the top two social media platforms by active monthly users on a global basis. But their continued supremacy is likely dependent on acquiring and integrating emerging apps and trends before the next big seismic shift in social media engagement and preferences.
Key Takeaways
- With around 2.96 billion monthly active users, Facebook has the largest userbase of any social network worldwide.
- YouTube comes in second with over 2 billion logged-in monthly users visiting the video platform.
- Messaging services like WhatsApp (2 billion) and Facebook Messenger (1.3 billion) are among the most used social apps globally.
- Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat rank highly in terms of monthly active users, especially among younger demographics.
- Twitter, Pinterest, and Reddit maintain strong niches by focusing on news/discussion, visual discovery, and interest communities respectively.
- Emerging markets favor locally developed social apps like WeChat, QQ, Douyin, and ShareChat.
- No other platform comes close to matching Facebook’s monthly user figures, cementing its status as the most used social media network.
The Future of Social Media Use
Predicting the future trends and developments in social media use presents challenges due to the dynamic nature of the social space. However, examining current growth patterns and platform innovations provides clues on what direction social media activity may head in coming years.
Continued Mobile Dominance
Social media usage has firmly migrated to mobile devices, with most users accessing platforms primarily via smartphones and tablets rather than desktop. Statista projects over 3 billion social media users worldwide in 2023 accessed via mobile. Developing markets with fast-growing mobile adoption are fueling mobile social media’s rise. Networks will focus engagement and development on mobile use cases.
Ephemeral Content Growth
Snapchat pioneered ephemeral social media content that disappears after being viewed. The format has proven hugely popular, with apps like Instagram and WhatsApp adding disappearing stories and messages. Short-form video apps like TikTok also thrive on ephemeral content. Users crave authentic in-the-moment content vs polished permanent content. Ephemeral sharing lowers barriers for creativity and participation.
Private Interaction Increase
Public social networks face backlash for issues like fake news, cyberbullying, and privacy concerns. Many users, especially younger generations, crave more private interactions via private messaging, groups, stories, and close friends features. Encrypted messaging apps like WhatsApp and Signal continue gaining users. Expect more networks to shift to private sharing spaces to create safe, trusted environments.
Rise of the Metaverse
Social interaction in virtual and augmented reality represents the next digital frontier. Metaverse platforms like Roblox, Fortnite, and VR Chat are pioneering social engagement in immersive simulated environments. Facebook sees the metaverse as the next evolution of social media and changed their company name to Meta to focus on this vision. Expect the metaverse concept to heavily impact social media use in the future.
Artificial Intelligence Integration
AI is already widely used in social platforms for functions like personalized recommendations, predictive text capabilities, and content moderation. More advanced AI integration in the form of conversational chatbots, hyper-personalized experiences, and intelligently generated content/recommendations will emerge. AI will allow social interaction and engagement to become smarter, more contextual, and responsive.
Shopping/Commerce Focus
Social commerce is a massive growth opportunity with platforms increasingly allowing in-app transactions, product tags, and shops/marketplaces. Pinterest, Instagram, WhatsApp, and TikTok now incorporate extensive shopping features. Livestream shopping also surges in popularity, especially in Asia. Social platforms want to capitalize on their role as product discovery hubs and their knowledge of user preferences to drive ecommerce sales.
Regulatory Oversight Increases
Governments worldwide are grappling with how best to regulate social media platforms in areas like data privacy, censorship, election interference, and monopoly concerns. Increased regulatory pressure can already be seen in Europe’s GDPR data privacy legislation and recent antitrust lawsuits against Meta in the US. Compliance costs and restrictions could substantially impact how some social media platforms operate and monetize in the future.
Conclusion
Social media has evolved from a niche activity to a core part of how billions interact online daily. Facebook has established itself as the most widely used social platform based on monthly active users, driven by its broad appeal, acquisition of services like Instagram, and focus on mobile users. However, YouTube matches Facebook’s scale in terms of logged-in users, while apps like WhatsApp and TikTok dominate daily usage in certain demographics and global markets.
While Facebook remains the social media usage leader, its continued supremacy in the face of fast-changing consumer preferences and demographics is uncertain. Challenges from innovative new platforms and paradigm-shifting concepts like the metaverse could reshape the social media landscape in ways we can’t foresee currently. But social interaction and communities will continue playing an integral role in digital lifestyles even as the platforms enabling them change.