7 Surprising Social Media Facts from the Digital 2027 Report
Verena Gründel comments on the most unexpected findings of the new Digital 2027 Global Overview Report.
TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn: What the Numbers Really Show
Nearly six billion. That’s how many social media user accounts are counted in the new Digital 2027 Global Overview Report by Meltwater, We Are Social, and DataReportal. So social media continues to grow. No surprise.
Nevertheless, the report contained some surprises you might not have expected. Here are seven unexpected social media facts:
- No other social network keeps users engaged as long as TikTok: an average of 1 hour and 55 minutes per day. Yet TikTok isn’t particularly popular: only 10% name it as their favorite platform, ranking it fifth.
- TikTok hype or not: even in the ranking of monthly active social media apps worldwide, the platform only comes in fifth.
- As much as the Meta Group is criticized, Instagram is the most popular social platform worldwide: 17.8% name it as their favorite. However, Instagram isn’t in the lead in terms of usage time (as mentioned, that’s TikTok), nor in terms of monthly active users—which, surprise, surprise, is:
- …Facebook. Although the platform has been declared dead for years, it still leads in global usage. 58.1% of internet users aged 16 and older were on Facebook last month. This means Facebook outperforms not only Instagram but also YouTube.
- LinkedIn is the network for experienced executives. Really? Nearly half of its ad reach comes from 18- to 34-year-olds. This means LinkedIn has a younger user base than expected.
- Of all social networks, LinkedIn has the greatest overlap with other platforms. For example, 86.6% of LinkedIn users are also active on Instagram. It seems like LinkedIn users are hardcore social media addicts.
- 97% of all internet users worldwide have used social media or a messaging app in the last month. This makes social media practically synonymous with the internet.
Nemo Tronnier and I spoke with Felix Beilharz on a special episode of our “Social Media Schau”—The Podcast about what these contradictions mean for brands, which platforms are being underestimated, and whether usage time is even the right metric.
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