two friends taking a selfie for social media

21 Viral Facts About Social Media

Can you remember a time before social media? Whether you can or can’t, one thing’s for sure, social media has changed the way we live, communicate, and promote our businesses! To control the power of social media, we need to understand what makes it tick. Here are 21 fun facts about social media that’ll boost your knowledge, and give you leverage in the social media game…

1. Facebook has a staggering number of users

With over 3 billion users worldwide, and with 70% daily login statistics, Facebook is still the largest social media network. So if you want to reach out to more people, Facebook is an excellent choice!

2. Top countries on the social media scale

North America has the highest social media access rate at 59%, followed by South America at 50%. So, using social media is a solid way to reach out to the Americas.

3. Men and women social media hang outs

While women dominate Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, men can be found on YouTube and LinkedIn. If you’re launching a gender-targeted campaign, this fact can help you decide where to focus your efforts.

woman looking at social media on her phone

4. Teens are MAD for social media

Around 92% of teens go online every day, and 71% of teens use more than one social media site. If you want to reach out to them it shouldn’t be too hard as they’re online, everywhere.

5. And adults aren’t far behind!

You can find adults on Facebook and LinkedIn. In fact, around 58% of adults in social media can be found on Facebook, followed by 23% on LinkedIn.

6. Social media influences purchasing decisions

Social media sites affect purchases in various ways. Twitter is popular for product discoveries, Pinterest is used for further product information, and Facebook for product sales or buying alerts.

7. How do Americans stay informed? Check Facebook

30% of Americans get all of their news entirely from Facebook!

8. Five clicks a day…and counting

Almost 23% of Facebook consumers check the site five times or more per day!

9. Social network users rarely check their privacy settings

Only 25% of Facebook users make an effort to check or adapt their privacy settings.

a take on the twitter logo

10. The Twitter logo was named after a famous basketball player

The bird included in Twitter’s iconic logo and branding is called Larry, named after the legendary Boston Celtics forward Larry Bird.

11. World leaders use Twitter

Around 80% of world leaders have Twitter accounts, though the rate of tweets differs widely from one leader to another.

12. Twitter has a tremendous capacity

As of 2013, Twitter has the working capacity to treat 18 QUINTILLION user accounts.

LinkedIn logo on a wall

13. LinkedIn set pretty high goals

In 2013, LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner set the company’s goal in acquiring 3 billion users, a little less than half the world’s population.

Since its launch, more than 1 billion endorsements have been made on LinkedIn. How many of these are real is anyone’s guess.

14. Instagram’s quick rise

Instagram was launched on the 6th of October, 2010 and by the 21st of December, 2010, the service had more than 1 million users. As a comparison, it took Twitter more than two years to achieve this level of growth.

15. There are more selfies on Instagram than you can imagine

Selfie-related hashtags have been inserted in to more than 41 million Instagram photos. This can be seen as tremendously exciting on one side, and quite depressing on the other.

a couple taking selfie photos

16. The most popular destinations according to Instagram

New York City is the most frequently geotagged city on Instagram, while Times Square is the second.

17. Social media sharing

You’d be surprised to know that the regular internet user has 7.6 social media accounts. We really do like to share!

18. Mature vs. younger social media consumers

It’s twice as likely for adult users, aged 55-64, to relate with branded content than their younger social media counterparts.

checking out instagram on a cell phone

19. Images shared on social media

Today, more than 3.2 billion images are shared on social media posts, proving that we’re visual species.

20. Boosting life through social media

49 % of social media users share product information hoping to improve the lives of others.

21. Social media can boost your business as well

Social media platforms are a crucial part of marketing for businesses of all sizes and proportions.

mobile showing the tiktok load screen

FAQs about Social Media

What are the different types of social media?

There are a handful - however, the most popular are image sharing websites, community blogs and social networking platforms.

Are there advantages to using social media?

For businesses, certainly - they can help you reach wider audiences and appeal to a more niche client.

Is social media a good thing?

In some ways, yes - it can be helpful in connecting people together who otherwise may not see each other daily!

Do you know any fun facts about social media? Share them in the comments below!

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This page was last modified on August 4, 2024. Suggest an edit