As social media is becoming more and more prevalent in our everyday lives, in both personal and business settings, the social media platforms are always competing for the top spot. Which platform has the most daily users?
Facebook
Facebook takes the top spot. According to their 2016 first quarter earnings report that shows 1.09 billion daily active users (DAU). This may not come as a surprise for some, just due to the fact that looking at all the most commonly used social media sites, Facebook has been around the longest.
Facebook’s key is that they have users of all ages active on the site. It’s simple enough to navigate through for seniors all the way to young tween users. It allows families and friends to keep in touch and is a great platform for businesses too. With such a large amount of users, businesses can reach people from all over the world. If your post or video goes viral, you’ve hit the jackpot.
Instagram
Instagram takes the second spot. According to an Instagram press release in June, there are 300 million active daily users. There is a vast difference, from the 1.09 billion DAU on Facebook and the 300 million DAU on Instagram, however considering Facebook has been around since 2004 and Instagram was established in 2010, this could mean Instagram is on the rise and still has many more years to grow.
Facebook bought Instagram in 2012 and has grown it exponentially since. Many people and businesses love Instagram because it combines visuals and text. It is a great way to share personal memories and for businesses to share their products. Food and Beauty are exceptionally popular topics on Instagram.
Snapchat
Snapchat takes the third spot. A Bloomberg article reports that snapchat has surpassed Twitter with 150 million DAU. The newest major platform, Snapchat, is a very modern way of communicating. After sending a photo or video that is 1-10 seconds long, it disappears. If you put a photo or video on your personal “story”, your friends can view it for up to 24 hours after the post and then it is gone. This is a very up to date way to stay connected to people.
Celebrities and brands are using Snapchat to give “behind the scenes” glances into their everyday lives. People are really responding to this type of interaction and Snapchat might be catching up to Instagram faster than many think.
Twitter
Twitter is in fourth place now with 140 million DAU according to a Bloomberg article. Snapchat recently passed Twitter with their DAU. However, Twitter isn’t fading away anytime soon. Surprisingly, many people have reported that they use Twitter for their news source. News outlets have Twitter profiles and update it with often minute by minute information, especially when there is breaking news.
The numbers speak for themselves. It’s going to take some time for a social media platform to reach the level of numbers that Facebook has, however the numbers aren’t sharing the full reality.
Many people don’t use Facebook for daily updates on their life. A lot of users, especially millennials, use Facebook to share news stories, wish friends happy birthday, and share the occasional life update. They browse on Facebook often, but don’t update it as much as they do with Snapchat, Instagram or Twitter. The same thing goes for Twitter. Many people use it to keep up to date with the news, celebrities, and friends but don’t often post daily on the platform.
Instagram varies in that many people post every few days, but check it multiple times a day to keep up with everyone else. Snapchat is in a whole different league. A lot of users send private pictures to friends several times a day, and may only post one or two pictures or videos to their public story every day.
The variety of platforms is ever changing and evolving with new features. It is important to be involved on these platforms as business owners. It gives companies the opportunity to reach many different demographics and expand their business.
If you are a business that needs assistance building your social media presence and following, we can help. Integrated Advertising Inc. is a full service agency based in Jacksonville, FL that can help you with all aspects of promoting a company. We are known for our expertise in strategic planning and negotiating, our award-winning commercial production, and promotional and event management. Visit http://www.intadvertising.com/ or call (904) 296-2585 for more information.
