Number of global social media users 2010-2021

Published by J. Clement, Aug 14, 2019

How many people use social media in the world?

Social media usage is one of the most popular online activities. In 2018, an estimated 2.65
billion people were using social media worldwide, a number projected to increase to almost
3.1 billion in 2021. 

Social network usage worldwide

Social network penetration is constantly increasing worldwide and as of January 2019 stood
at 45 percent. This figure is anticipated to grow as lesser developed digital markets catch up
with other regions when it comes to infrastructure development and the availability of cheap
mobile devices. In fact, most of social media’s global growth is driven by the increasing
usage of mobile devices. Mobile-first market Eastern Asia topped the global ranking
of mobile social networking penetration, followed by established digital powerhouses such
as the Americas and Northern Europe. 

The average time per day spent on social media varies greatly by country. Whilst U.S. users
spent approximately one hour and 57 minutes using social media each day, the Philippines
ranked first in terms of user engagement. The average time per day spent on social media
in the country amounted to four hours and one minute, twice the amount of time spent by
U.S. users. 

Most popular social networks

Market leader Facebook was the first social network to surpass one billion registered
accounts and currently boasts approximately 2.4 billion monthly active users, making it
the most popular social network worldwide. By comparison, photo-sharing app Instagram
had one billion monthly active accounts. In June 2019, the most downloaded social
networking apps in the Apple App Store included mobile messaging apps WhatsApp and
Facebook Messenger, as well as the ever-popular app version of Facebook.
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Web and social media trends across continents
Home    Insights    Web and social media trends across continents

Nicola Winters
Head of International

May 18th 2012

International
Social media is fast becoming an essential part of an online marketer’s strategy, not
only because of its ability to connect businesses with relevant online communities but
also because it provides sites with natural back links. Whilst tweeting and ‘liking’
particular blog posts is a way of engaging in social sharing, it is simply not enough to
influence the overall outcome of an SEO campaign, particularly for those who target
different countries.

Get in touch   

Web and social media trends across continents

Home    Insights    Web and social media trends across continents
Nicola Winters
Head of International

May 18th 2012

International
Social media is fast becoming an essential part of an online marketer’s strategy, not
only because of its ability to connect businesses with relevant online communities but
also because it provides sites with natural back links. Whilst tweeting and ‘liking’
particular blog posts is a way of engaging in social sharing, it is simply not enough to
influence the overall outcome of an SEO campaign, particularly for those who target
different countries.

Brian Solis has produced this infographic which shows some interesting, and surprising,
trends:
From Brian Solis blog / Skitch
 
For instance, social networking is now the most popular online activity worldwide which,
for many, acts as a hub for people’s entire online experience. This, of course, directly
affects SEO companies who must adjust their strategies accordingly. Whilst on-page
SEO can be kept relatively the same across all borders, off-page strategies need to be
altered to suit the needs and interests of the local market.
Whilst Google remains the most popular web brand in every country except Japan, not
every country primarily uses the tool in search. Russia favours Yandex, China uses
Baidu; search operators which both have separate factors affecting link value, weight
and, ultimately, rankings.

Globalisation, along with the dramatic availability and growth in technology, has had a
‘shrinking’ effect on the world as a whole. People, as a result, have altered the way in
which they receive and digest news and information. However, different cultures,
behaviours and languages are still very much present in the online community which is
reflected in web and social media trends. Whilst the UK engages in social networking
sites and forums, France focuses on blogging as a form of online interaction. It is also
worth noting that Facebook and Twitter are not favoured in every country. Cultural
differences mean that certain restrictions apply to freedom of speech. In Japan, social
network site Mixi is extremely popular among locals whilst Russians prefer VKontakte.

For global businesses, the need to ‘be social’ is vital both for raising brand awareness
and maintaining loyal relationships with communities. However, one single strategy will
not be successful for every country and domain. Instead extensive research into search
and social trends, plus separate strategies, will be needed to optimise each site in each
country. Good translation is key but it is important to firstly discover what people are
searching for, how they are doing it, when, why and so on.
Anyone who works in online marketing will be aware of Google’s hatred of duplicate
content. However, when translated, Google does not recognise and define this as
duplicate, which allows for separate domains or sub domains to be kept relatively the
same. Link building, on the other hand, will need to be tailored to suit each country’s
preferred communication and engagement method. That is why we should strive for
interesting, unique and high quality content that can be shared, liked and commented
on by those in separate parts of the world.

Social signals have largely been discussed amongst SEO professionals who are still to
this day unsure of their direct effectiveness on rankings. However, one thing is for sure;
if a piece of content is being shared across communities, it is getting read, appreciated
and promoted. This ultimately leaves a link in good stead of becoming effective in a
campaign. Targeting different countries will have a direct effect on the strategy,
meaning those who reach out to Japan will need to focus on Yahoo’s dictation of link
relevance and offer social buttons to that countries favoured social media sites.

Localising sites to adapt to other search engine spiders that crawl the web
differentiating between pages, relevance and authority is a sure fire way to reach
potential customers. A local domain name will be favoured by search operators and the
creation of these separate sub domains should be the first step in a multilingual
strategy.

When developing an SEO strategy for different countries it is important to consider the
behaviour in both social networks and mobile devices on each platform. There is no
universal strategy that will be effective in every continent and extensive research needs
to be completed before link building can commence. Localisation is key in this area.
Although it may first seem ideal to broadcast a campaign on a global scale only using
translation, in reality the very people you are trying to reach may be missed. Targeting
each country differently will allow for local, cultural and geographical references to be
made and be appreciated. By engaging with cultures on a local level, bridges can be
built to connect a brand with customers.

In Asia, everyday life is becoming increasingly digital. As such, the region covers a
formidable chunk of the global social media landscape. According to We Are Social and
Hootsuite’s 2019 Global Digital report, Eastern Asia, along with Northern America, has
the highest social media penetration rate in the world at 70%.
However, Asia’s social media landscape is different compared to the West. In most
Asian countries, native platforms dominate the online scene instead of giants like
Facebook and Twitter, who are then forced to compete in the market. With the large and
diversified culture present, a variety of different strategies are needed to achieve
success within each country in the region. It may seem a daunting task, but this can be
made significantly easier by laying the groundwork through social listening in its major
social channels.

This article will discuss Asia’s social media environment, the biggest social media
marketing trends, opportunities, major channels, and success stories.

Social media is a powerful force in the Asian online landscape. Thus, social media
planning should become a focal point for brands in their strategies. Through social
listening across main channels, digital marketers can track consumer behavior, discover
vital insights into their audience, and adapt these swiftly into their marketing strategies.

Here are some of the key trends that both international and local brands in Asia utilize
to achieve success in the Asian social landscape.

Big Data is the Future

Asians are some of the heaviest social media consumers in the world. Recent data from
Statista reveals that Asian countries have some of the highest social media penetration
rates across the globe, with Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Malaysia
taking the second to sixth spots respectively. This means massive loads of data are
generated on a daily basis.

Big data and advanced analytics present a concrete way of managing these loads of
data to garner valuable insights into the market, such as sentiment analysis. With these
strategies, brands can gather vital insights into the sentiment of various audiences.
Once analyzed, these will then lay the groundwork for developing campaigns
customized according to the values of the target audience. Big data can also let
businesses assess trending topics across multiple channels. This is especially helpful in
countries where omnichannel marketing strategies are heavily applied, such as in
China.

Additionally, since big data can gather and analyze data in large amounts, it can also be
used to correlate data over longer periods of time, allowing marketers to predict trends.
This gives marketers an edge in terms of developing more cost-effective campaigns.
Through big data strategies, marketers can more efficiently identify which target
audience to prioritize, and adjust their messaging accordingly. In this way, brands can
effectively generate more interest.

At a higher level, big data can also precisely and accurately target specific individuals
based on a database of their likes, dislikes, emotions, hobbies, interests, and much
more. This is very helpful in creating personalized content, another trend in Asian social
media marketing, which can create unique and customized brand experiences for
customers.