Global Web Index has just released its Q2 2014 report giving the latest figures for social media usage and engagement across more than 30 global markets.
We’ve looked through the report and pulled out the eights statistics that we think you need to know to inform your global social strategies.
1. Facebook still dominates with 82% of internet users (outside of China) aged 16-64 having a Facebook account, although the numbers using or contributing to the site each month is down 6% over the last six months. Of the 32 markets assessed, there are only three where Facebook doesn’t come out on top – China, Russia and Japan…
2. Twitter has overtaken Facebook to claim first place in Japan and has seen a 7% rise globally.
3. Elsewhere, niche networks continue to grow fast: Instagram is the winner with a 25% increase in active user numbers in the last six months.
4. Snapchat grew 67% in the last six months and, despite a relatively small user base has performed particularly well in US, UK, Ireland and Australia and enjoyed a 95% rise among teens.
5. Following the acquisition by Facebook, WhatsApp has grown 30% and, even though it still has only 3% usage in the US, this hits 50%+ in countries such as Hong Kong, South Africa and Malaysia.
6. The use of VPNs and proxies to access social networks that might be banned or unavailable in a particular country is widespread with 28% having said they have done this. 40% of this group say one of their motivations was to access social platforms. This has major implications for geo-targeting and analytics data.
7. While social network usage is still on the rise, it is becoming more passive. We are more likely to look at newsfeeds than actively interacting with them. This is possibly driven by the rise of social messaging apps. More people are now sharing photos on Facebook than commenting on posts or messaging friends.
8. This is heavily dependent on age – 84% of 16-24s are “sharers”, compared to just 50% of 55-64s.
See the full report at Global Web Index.
