Social media is starting to take off its short pants.
It’s becoming all grown up. In fact, Facebook is now over 11 years old and heading towards platform puberty and is still the standout leader of the pack.
Google with its Google+ platform (with a development cost of over half a billion dollars) tried to take Mark Zuckerberg on, but it has become an incidental social network that isn’t taken seriously by many marketers.
They play there but don’t want to work there.
There are even rumours that Google is going to break it up into separate digital products by segmenting the components that got traction… like Google hangouts and photos.
The emerging trends
The biggest trend over the last 12 months has been the move from earned marketing attention (sometimes called free) to “pay to play”. Another is the impact of social messaging platforms such as Snapchat and Whatsapp that have become “quasi social networks” in their own right.
It’s a social web shift that is driven by a connected generation. If your Mom joins Facebook, then maybe it’s time to play somewhere else. Teenagers don’t want to be dancing with their parents. Right!
In fact the the instant services and chat apps now account for 3 of the top 5 global social platforms.
Facebook tried to buy Snapchat for $3 billion and was snubbed. But then they pulled out $20 billion out of the back pocket and bought WhatsApp. You just have to love deep pockets and a vision of what the future looks like. Mobile,social and alternative messaging.
How does the social web look like in 2015?
The quick truth is that it can be summed up in one word, “mobile”. Smartphone penetration has soared as it the devices have become more affordable and the wireless networks more ubiquitous and faster.
There are now 7.2 billion people on the planet and of those the following numbers make interesting reading.
- There are just over 3 billion active Internet users (45% of the world’s internet users)
- Nearly 2.1 billion people have social media accounts
- 3.65 billion mobile users have access to the internet via smartphones and tablets
- Close to 1.7 billion people have active social media accounts
Source: Wearesocial.net
The rise of non English speaking social networks in China and Russia, such as Qzone, are producing large social networks that exceed Twitter, Instagram and Google+. The traditional social networks as we know them are not the only games in world wide social web town!
So what are the social media facts and statistics in 2015 that are worth checking out?
Mobile social media facts
The developing world has not had the luxury of fixed wire internet from poles and wires. To provide access for the aspirational masses the mobile wireless networks are a fast track to a global world. Put up a tower rather than build an expensive fixed infrastructure.
So the mobile phone has made the web accessible for almost everyone.
- In India mobile devices account for 72% of all web site traffic
- There are 1.65 billion active mobile social accounts globally
- 561 million active mobile social accounts are located in East Asia
Facebook facts
You may scream at Facebook for its dominance and arrogance. But it can’t be ignored.
Tall poppies are easy targets but the reality is that Facebook has cracked the social network code. It’s the ultimate beta business. Testing features in real time and snapping up online apps that push the boundaries of use experience in a world that is about digital disruption.
- There are nearly 1.4 billion Facebook users
- 71% of all Internet users are on Facebook
- 4.5 billion likes are generated daily
- Nearly 75% of Facebook’s revenue comes from mobile advertising
- Direct uploads of user videos to Facebook now exceed YouTube
Twitter facts
Twitter is an accidental social network but don’t be fooled. It’s a great brand awareness facilitator.
- Twitter has 284 million active users at last count
- 88% of Twitter users are on mobile
- 500 million tweets per day
Google+ facts
Google saw the writing on the wall but turned up to the party a little too late.
- Google+ cost over half a billion to design and develop
- 363 million users
- The +1 button is hit 5 billion times per day
Instagram facts
This network is owned by Facebook. They saw that social and mobile was a powerful intersection of synergies. They were right!
- Instagram has 300 million users
- 70 million photos and videos are sent daily
- 53% of internet users aged 18-29 use Instagram
Pinterest facts
Pinterest has made the pinboard a virtual activity. It’s female centric and very visual.
- 80% of Internet users on Pinterest are female
- 70 million users are on Pinterest
- 88% purchase a product they pinned
LinkedIn facts
LinkedIn dominates the professional social network segment. It is one of the oldest having started in 2002. Almost the grandfather of social networks.
- LinkedIn has 347 million registered members
- Total revenue at the end of 2014 was $643 million (a growth rate of 44% over the previous period)
- There are over 39 million students and recent college graduates on LinkedIn
Other social media facts
Facebook maybe the biggest and baddest but there are many other social media facts and networks that shouldn’t be forgotten. Both niche and non-English speaking.
- Viber has over 200 million users
- There are 639 million users on Qzone (China)
- 600 million users on Whatsapp
- Facebook messenger has 500 million users
- Wechat is close behind with 468 million users (China)
- Snapchat has been valued at close to $20 billion at the last valuation
- Snapchat has 100 million monthly users
- Russia’s “VKontake” has 100 million users
- Social networks will earn $8.3 billion from advertising in 2015
Sources: Growing social media, Pewinternet.org, LinkedIn.com
What are you going to do?
Social media started with a few players that have now been empowered by another obsessive technology. Mobile.
The game is changing.
How can you use visual, mobile and messaging in your marketing? Instagram, Snapchat and Whatsapp are disrupting the game.
Looking forward to your comments..
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