Whether it’s the beginning of the year or the end of a quarter, your social media strategy needs a constant refresh based on the latest trends and data. A tactic that works today may not be as relevant a year from now. This makes it important for marketers to stay up to date with the latest data points and statistics involving social media. To get started, you’ll need the latest social media demographics to update your 2024 strategy.
With more networks available than ever before, you need to spend your time and budget wisely. Specifically, you should focus on where your customers are.
Check out the latest social media platform demographics so you know where to focus your efforts in 2024.
Social media demographics: the numbers you need to know
Demographic data tells you which social media channels to prioritize in your strategy. It finds out where your target audience is and, in the process, which platforms are best for conducting market research.
Want to know what apps are available? Curious about new opportunities to post your content? Worried that a network might “die?”
We’ve got you covered.
Below, we give you a breakdown by platform of the social media demographics you need to know about in 2024 (and beyond). These figures come from the latest research and social media statistics available at the time of writing. They highlight facts about social media that can inform how you approach each platform.
And as a bonus, we’ve also highlighted strategic ways for each network to guide your social marketing strategy.
Before we get started, here’s a quick rundown of some key insights.
What is the most used social media platform?
Facebook continues to be the most used social media platform.
What are the most used social media by age?
Below is a breakdown of social media use by age STRING:
- 18-29 years old – 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%)
- 50-59 years old – Facebook (29%), LinkedIn (24%), Pinterest (24%)
Source: Statistics
Which age group is the most active demographic on social media?
Millennials are the most active demographic on social media, with 68.8% of them estimated to use social media in 2024. In terms of daily time spent on social media, Gen Z tops the list with 35% using it more than two hours a day.
Source: McKinsey
What social media does Gen Z use the most?
YouTube is the most used social media among General Z.
Demographics and Facebook usage
Data from Facebook demographics for 2024
- Facebook remains e the most popular social media platform between consumers and traders. For the first time, it hit 3 billion monthly active users, making it the first social media platform to do so.
- Time spent on Facebook sees a slight increase from last year’s 30 minutes per day. However, an increase of 9 seconds is not enough to suggest that people are spending significantly more time on Facebook each day.
- Similar to previous years, younger users continue to flock to TikTok and Snapchat. Platform usage among 13-17-year-olds stands at 4.8%, suggesting it’s not the best place to target a younger audience.
Source: Statista
Learn more about other vital Facebook statistics to prepare your 2024 strategy.
Demographics and Instagram usage
Insights from Instagram demographics for 2024
- Platform growth remains steady, despite a slowdown in recent years.
- In terms of social media age demographics, Instagram holds a strong hold on both Gen Z and millennials. These groups make up roughly two-thirds of their base.
- Time spent on the platform increased from 30.1 minutes a year ago. An increase of 2 minutes indicates that people are spending more time engaging with content on Instagram.
Learn more about other vital Instagram statistics to prepare your 2024 strategy.
Demographics and TikTok usage
Relationships from the demographics of TikTok for 2024
- TikTok has not surpassed Facebook and Instagram in the number of monthly active users. But its growing popularity and increased use may soon change that.
- Gen Z is driving this rise in popularity, with 78% of US Gen Z using it in 2023.
- Not only is TikTok’s user base booming, but so is its daily activity. TikTok boasts the highest average time spent per day of any network. Daily time spent on the platform increased by nearly 10 minutes compared to 45.8 minutes last year.
Source: Insider Intelligence
- The fact that the gender demographics of the platform are leveling out is also notable. In fact, there are now more male than female users, but only by a small margin. Last year, the split was 54% female and 46% male. This signals TikTok’s status as a mainstream social app among the general population.
Learn more about other vital TikTok statistics to prepare your 2024 strategy.
X (formerly Twitter) demographics and usage
Relationships from Demographic X to 2024
- After rebranding to X, the platform saw a 13% drop in daily active users during the first year.
- Some reports note an increase in activity while others note a migration away from the app. eMarketer predicts that X’s user base will drop to 335.7 million in 2024.
- Despite this, people are still spending far more time on X than on Facebook and Instagram.
- There is a slight increase in the number of female users (from 34.1%) a year ago. That said, X is still one of those platforms with an overwhelmingly large male user base.
Learn more about other vital Twitter statistics to prepare your 2024 strategy.
Demographics and YouTube usage
Relationships from YouTube demographics for 2024
- YouTube’s popularity has grown among Gen Z users, especially in the United States. It is now the most visited online platform among US Gen Z adults.
- The gender distribution on the platform began to level out last year with 51.4% female users and 48.6% male users. This has completely reversed in 2024. There are now more male than female users on the platform.
- People are also spending over 3 minutes more on the platform per day, highlighting the growing adoption of video content.
- However, most users claim that they use YouTube for entertainment and not to find brands and products. Brands still have a lot of work to do on the platform, finding a balance between entertainment and advertising.
Learn more about other vital YouTube statistics to prepare your 2024 strategy.
LinkedIn demographics and usage
Relationships from LinkedIn demographics for 2024
- Conventional wisdom might say that LinkedIn caters exclusively to an older audience. However, Millennials dominate the platform.
- Additionally, LinkedIn adoption among the Gen Z population is also increasing as they begin to enter the workforce. Comscore reports a 53% increase in platform reach within the 18-24 age group. This makes it the second fastest growing platform among Gen Z, behind the relatively new BeReal.
- 53% of LinkedIn users come from families with high monthly income. This makes the platform a potential gold mine for advertising.
- Daily usage has increased significantly over the past four years. Only 22% of users logged into the platform daily in 2020. This highlights an increase in highly engaged users on the platform, making it ideal for B2B content marketing.
Learn more about other vital LinkedIn statistics to prepare your 2024 strategy.
Demographics and Pinterest Usage
Relationships from Pinterest demographics for 2024
- Pinterest has seen steady growth over time. After a slight decline in 2022, the number of monthly active users has increased again in 2023.
Source: Statista
- Although there has been an increase in the number of male users, the platform’s user base is still overwhelmingly female.
- People may not spend as much time on Pinterest as they do on other platforms. But that doesn’t mean you have to pay it off. The platform promotes discovery, with 80% of weekly Pinners having discovered a new brand or product on Pinterest.
Learn more about other vital Pinterest statistics to prepare your 2024 strategy.
Demographics and Snapchat usage
Relationships from Snapchat demographics for 2024
- Snapchat might not be the most anecdotally talked about network. But the platform continues to see steady growth that shows it’s not going anywhere.
- Snapchat is still big with the younger crowd. In fact, it has the largest number of Gen Z users among the major social media platforms, putting it ahead of Instagram and TikTok. Statista predicts that Snapchat will have 49.6 million Gen Z users in 2024.
Source: Statista
- Even if you’re not active on Snapchat, it’s a prime place to spot trends and learn what new consumers want.
Are social media demographics part of your strategy?
The above social media platform demographics come from aggregated data for billions of users. As such, it serves as a starting point for brands looking to prioritize their social platforms.
We recommend looking at the demographic data from your social presence to see how it compares to the averages above.
As you prepare for a successful 2024, be sure to use our free social media templates to organize your efforts.
