Whether it's at the beginning of the year or the end of a quarter, your social media strategy needs to be continually updated based on the latest trends and data. Tactics that work today may not be relevant a year from now. This makes it important for marketers to stay up to date with the latest data points and statistics related to social media. First, you need updated social media demographics to update your 2024 strategy.
With more networks available than ever before, you need to use your time and budget wisely. Specifically, you need to focus on where your customers are.
Check out the latest social media platform demographics to decide where to focus your efforts in 2024.
Social media demographics: numbers you need to know
Demographic data will tell you which social media channels to prioritize in your strategy. This will reveal where your target audience is and, in the process, which platform is best for conducting market research.
Curious about what apps are coming? Curious about new opportunities to cross-post content? Worried your network is “down”?
We will be happy to assist you.
Below, we break down the social media demographics you need to know for 2024 (and beyond) by platform. These numbers are based on the latest research and social media statistics available at the time of this writing. These highlight facts about social media that may inform how you approach each platform.
We also highlighted strategic key points for each network to guide your social marketing strategy.
Before we begin, let us quickly summarize some key insights.
What are the most used social media platforms?
Facebook continues to be the most used social media platform.
What social media is most used by age group?
Below is the breakdown Social media usage status by age range:
- 18-29 – Snapchat (41%), TikTok (35%), Instagram (32%)
- 30-39 years old – LinkedIn (34%), X/Twitter (34%), Snapchat (33%), Instagram (32%)
- 40-49 years old – LinkedIn (25%), Facebook (22%), X/Twitter (21%)
- Ages 50-59 – Facebook (29%), LinkedIn (24%), Pinterest (24%)
sauce: statistics
Which age group is most active on social media?
Millennials are the most active demographic on social media, with 68.8% of them estimated to be using social media in 2024. When it comes to daily time spent on social media, Gen Z tops the list, with 35% using social media for more than two hours a day.
Source: McKinsey
What social media do Gen Z use most?
YouTube is the most used social media among Gen Z.
Facebook demographics and usage
Takeaways from Facebook demographics in 2024
- Facebook It is as it is most popular social media platforms between consumers and marketers. The number of monthly active users reached 3 billion for the first time, making it the first social media platform to do so.
- Time spent on Facebook is up slightly from 30 minutes per day last year. However, an increase of 9 seconds is not enough to suggest that people are spending significantly more time on Facebook each day.
- As in previous years, younger users continue to flock to TikTok and Snapchat. The platform's usage rate among 13- to 17-year-olds is just 4.8%, suggesting it's not the best place to target younger audiences.
Source: Bureau of Statistics
Learn more about other important Facebook statistics to prepare your 2024 strategy.
Instagram demographics and usage
Takeaways from Instagram demographics in 2024
- Despite the slowdown in recent years, the platform's growth remains steady.
- As far as social media age demographics go, Instagram has a strong hold on both Gen Z and Millennials. These groups make up about two-thirds of the base.
- Time spent on the platform increased from 30.1 minutes a year ago. The 2-minute increase indicates that people are spending more time engaging with Instagram content.
Learn more about other important Instagram stats to prepare your 2024 strategy.
TikTok demographics and usage
Takeaways from TikTok demographics in 2024
- TikTok has not surpassed Facebook or Instagram in terms of monthly active users. However, due to its growing popularity and increased usage, things may soon change.
- Gen Z is driving this growth in popularity, with 78% of Gen Z users in the US by 2023.
- Not only is TikTok's user base rapidly growing, but so is its daily activity. TikTok boasts the highest average daily spend time of any network. Time spent on the platform per day increased by almost 10 minutes compared to 45.8 minutes a year ago.
Source: Insider Intelligence
- Also noteworthy is the fact that the platform's gender demographics have leveled off. In fact, there are now more male users than female users, but the difference is small. Last year, the percentage was 54% for women and 46% for men. This shows TikTok's status as the primary social app for the entire population.
Learn more about other important TikTok statistics to prepare your 2024 strategy.
X (formerly Twitter) demographics and usage
Takeaways from 2024 X Demographics
- After rebranding to X, daily active users decreased by 13% in the platform's first year.
- Some reports point to a spike in activity, while others point to a shift away from apps. eMarketer predicts that the user base of X will decline to 335.7 million in 2024.
- Despite this, people still spend far more time on X than on Facebook or Instagram.
- The number of female users increased slightly (34.1% last year). That said, X is still one of the platforms with a predominantly male user base.
Learn more about other important Twitter statistics to prepare your 2024 strategy.
YouTube demographics and usage
Takeaways from YouTube demographics in 2024
- YouTube is growing in popularity, especially among Gen Z users in the United States. It is currently the most frequently used online platform among Gen Z adults in the United States.
- The gender distribution on the platform started flattening out last year, with 51.4% of users being female and 48.6% male. This he completely reversed in 2024. Currently, the platform has more male users than female users.
- The amount of time people spend on the platform has also increased by more than three minutes per day, highlighting the increasing adoption of video content.
- Still, most users claim they use YouTube for entertainment, not to discover brands or products. Brands still have a lot of work to do on their platforms to find the balance between entertainment and advertising.
Learn more about other important YouTube statistics to prepare your 2024 strategy.
LinkedIn Demographics and Usage
Takeaways from LinkedIn Demographics in 2024
- Conventional wisdom might suggest that LinkedIn is aimed exclusively at an older audience. But millennials are dominating the platform.
- Additionally, LinkedIn adoption among Gen Z is also increasing as they begin to enter the workforce. Comscore reports a 53% increase in the platform's reach in the 18-24 age group. This makes it the second fastest growing platform among Gen Z, after the relatively new BeReal.
- 53% of LinkedIn users belong to households with high monthly incomes. This makes the platform a potential treasure trove for advertising.
- Daily usage has increased significantly over the past four years. In 2020, only 22% of users accessed the platform every day. This highlights that more and more users are enthusiastically joining the platform, making it ideal for marketing B2B content.
Learn more about other important LinkedIn statistics to prepare your 2024 strategy.
Pinterest demographics and usage
Takeaways from Pinterest user statistics in 2024
- Pinterest has experienced steady growth over time. The number of monthly active users fell slightly in 2022, but recovered in 2023.
Source: Bureau of Statistics
- Although the number of male users is increasing, the platform's user base remains overwhelmingly female.
- People may not be spending as much time on Pinterest as they are on other platforms. But that doesn't mean you can write it off. The platform fosters discovery, with 80% of weekly Pinners discovering new brands and products on Pinterest.
Learn more about other important Pinterest stats to prepare your 2024 strategy.
Snapchat demographics and usage
Takeaways from Snapchat demographics in 2024
- Anecdotally, Snapchat may not be the most talked about network. However, the platform continues to see steady growth, indicating it is not going anywhere.
- Snapchat remains hugely popular among young people. In fact, it has the highest number of Gen Z users of any major social media platform, surpassing Instagram and TikTok. Statista predicts that Snapchat's Gen Z users will number 49.6 million in 2024.
Source: Bureau of Statistics
- Even if you're not actively using Snapchat, it's a great place to discover trends and learn what young consumers want.
Are social media demographics part of your strategy?
The social media platform demographics above are based on generalized data across billions of users. As such, it serves as a starting point for brands looking to prioritize social platforms.
We recommend looking at the demographic data from your own social presence and seeing how it compares to the averages above.
As you set yourself up for success in 2024, use our free social media templates to organize your efforts.
