1.3 million new social media users daily

There are currently around 4.2 billion social media users worldwide, which represents growth of more than 13 percent compared to the previous year (490 million new users). The number of social media users now represents more than 53 percent of the world's population.

However, at an average of two hours and 25 minutes a day, people still spend just as much time on social networks as in the previous year. Facebook remains the most-used platform, closely followed by YouTube and WhatsApp. Facebook's own apps account for four of the top five most frequently used platforms worldwide.

"Consumers are increasingly interacting with brands in the same way they interact with their friends and family - via social and messaging apps," said Tom Keiser, CEO of Hootsuite. "The pandemic has only accelerated this shift, as corporate laggards are now moving to online interaction with their customers."

Messaging platforms gain popularity

The annual report also outlines the expanded use of social media, with 45 percent of users aged 16 to 64 looking to social networks for brand information, while 40 percent use social media for professional purposes. An important consideration for marketers here is the growing popularity of messaging platforms, with 91 percent of Internet users aged 16 to 64 now using chat apps every month. Messaging has thus overtaken the use of social media platforms and is now in second place with 88 percent.

Online two days a week

Meanwhile, the total amount of time spent on the Internet worldwide has increased significantly. The average Internet user now spends almost seven hours a day online across all devices. This means that they spend more than two full days of a seven-day week online - an increase of 16 minutes or four percent compared to the previous year. The Digital 2021 report shows that there were 4.66 billion Internet users worldwide in January 2021 - an increase of 316 million (7.3 percent) compared to January 2020.

"It's no surprise that within a year - when so many people around the world were on lockdown - we saw massive growth in social media and Internet usage," said Nathan McDonald, co-founder and global chief executive of We Are Social. "Much of our lives now take place through digital channels, whether we're networking on social media, shopping via smartphone, using voice assistants or playing online games. The pandemic has helped this shift that has already begun, and in 2021 it will continue even further. So it's more important than ever for marketers to understand how to connect with their online audiences in a culturally relevant way."

More trends

• The smartphone is becoming the number one screen and thus takes up more time than classic television for a larger proportion of people.
• 77 percent of Internet users ages 16 to 64 said they shop online every month, with groceries and personal care products among the fastest-growing e-commerce group.
• The "Silver Surfer" age group is one of the fastest growing target group segments of the most important social networks. The user group over 50 is thus growing faster than any other age group on Facebook and Snapchat.
• Gaming is growing in popularity across all generations, with more than 90 percent of Generation Z Internet users saying they play games online - compared to 67 percent of 55- to 64-year-olds.