The world of social media is constantly evolving, with billions of active users contributing to exponential growth. According to a recent study, in 2023 there would be 4.8 billion social media users worldwide, which is equivalent to 59.9% of the world’s population and 92.7% of all internet users.
When we look at the most popular social media platforms, we see that some of them are controlled by a small number of companies. For example, Meta, the tech giant formerly known as Facebook, owns four of the five most used platforms.
The ranking of the ten social media platforms with the highest number of monthly active users, based on data from Visualcapitalist, offers a fascinating insight into the scale of social media usage on a global scale. Leading the way is Meta Platforms with a combined total of 7.5 billion monthly active users across Facebook, WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram.
Furthermore, Tencent, a Chinese company, also stands out with a total of 2.4 billion monthly active users on its three platforms: WeChat, Qzone and QQ. Alphabet, YouTube’s parent company, follows closely behind with 2.3 billion monthly active users on the world’s most popular video-sharing platform.
Bytedance, the owner of TikTok and Douyin, is positioned just behind Alphabet with a total of 1.6 billion monthly active users. These impressive figures reflect the dominance of large technology companies in the social media landscape, providing communication and entertainment platforms to millions, if not billions, of people around the world.
This data highlights the growing importance of social media in our daily lives, as sources of information, entertainment and connection with others. As these platforms continue to grow and evolve, it is essential to understand their impact on society and the way we interact online. Social media shapes the way we communicate, share experiences and discover new perspectives, creating an unprecedented global network of interactions and opportunities.