Social Media Use Up 21% In 2016, Hitting 2.5m Users Globally
This growth saw the total number of worldwide social media users increase to 2.5m.
These insights come from “Digital in 2017”, the annual report put together by Hootsuite and We Are Social, which looks at social media and digital trends across the world.
The report also revealed that 50% of the world’s population is now online – a 10% increase in internet penetration over the past 12 months.
Hootsuite and We Are Social also found that mobile social media use grew even further – registering a 30% year-over-year increase, hitting 2.5bn users globally, with 91% now accessing social via mobile.
Simon Kemp from We Are Social said: “Half of the world’s population is now online, which is a testament to the speed with which digital connectivity is helping to improve people’s lives.
“The increase in internet users in developing economies is particularly encouraging.
“Given this latest data, it’s probably time for us to stop referring to social as “new media”, and integrate it more seamlessly into our day-to-day activities.”
The report also gives a breakdown of internet penetration and social media use across different markets, revealing that for North and South America, the USA contributed 22m of the 88m new social media users in the region.
In Asia Pacific, penetration is now at 36% and the region hosts a very impressive 1.5bn active social media users – up 25% from January last year.
The Middle East also saw impressive growth, with the number of active social media users up 47% and penetration up by 30m.
Hootsuite’s Penny Wilson said: “One of the greatest opportunities of a digitally connected world is the ability to have immediate conversations, wherever and whenever customers want.
“Social media not only enables organisations to amplify its brand, but also build trust, credibility and human relationships at scale.
“It is now as much the responsibility of the top executive as the social media manager.”
To find out more about the report please click here.
