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Blog/Social Media 2024: NEARLY 70% OF THE WORLD POPULATION IS ONLINE DAILY
January 06, 2025
As we know, in January 2024, the number of social media users surpassed 5 billion, reaching 62.3% of the global population, according to statistics from We Are Social. This number continues to rise. The most recent data from October 2024 shows that this figure has reached 5.52 billion, representing 67.5% of the global population of 8.18 billion.
Viewed in context, this may not seem like an explosive figure, especially in a year as dynamic as 2024. However, this growth highlights the internet's ever-increasing popularity. According to the data provided, the world is adding nearly 9 new active users every second.
You can explore the fluctuations in the internet landscape over the past year in the 2024 Digital Report: NEARLY 70% OF THE WORLD POPULATION IS ONLINE DAILY. Continue scrolling to catch up on the latest statistics, trends, and updates about global social media in 2024.
Let's take a look at the significant changes over the past year, based on data from We Are Social and DataReport:
If you're someone who regularly monitors annual fluctuations in statistics, you probably wouldn't be too surprised by these figures. And indeed, compared to the highly dynamic year of 2024, the growth remains at a stable level. Now, let's dive deeper into what users are searching for on the Internet in 2024.
It can be said that the time spent on the Internet is the most significant indicator when assessing changes in 2024. As of January 31, 2024, a report by We Are Social revealed that the average social media user spent 2 hours and 23 minutes daily on platforms. Currently, this figure has surged to 6 hours and 36 minutes.
Although Internet usage is not solely for entertainment or shopping, its applications in work and daily life are vast. Datareport has presented statistics showing that this time spent online is second only to the 7-8 hours people dedicate to sleep daily. The use of Chat GPT or AI in daily life in 2024 is significant, and online shopping platforms are continuously improving, stimulating the market, making online activity an essential habit.
Of course, this data is not entirely accurate for everyone or in all geographic regions. The number decreases across ages from 16 to 64, and in some countries, like Japan, users may spend less than 4 hours on social media. However, it can be said that the trend of Internet usage has never seen a decline or stagnation.
Despite nearly 70% of the global population being online, approximately 2.43 billion people remain disconnected from the “Invention of the Century” – the Internet. Cultural and traditional factors have been mentioned many times as the main cause of this problem. When looking at the system list, the majority of the addresses with a large number of “Not Connected” are usually located in the Asian region, a place known for its very heavy foundation of social relations, customs and habits.
This view is further reinforced by the fact that India, China, and Pakistan together account for nearly half of the world’s Unconnected population. At least, the numbers are looking up from mid-to-late 2024.
But don't get me wrong, China and India are currently tech giants and leaders in some technology fields. These enormous numbers partly stem from the large populations of these countries (1.411 billion - China, 1.492 billion - India). Therefore, unlocking access to the "unconnected" is just a matter of time.
Mobile devices in general, and smartphones in particular, continue to dominate as approximately 97.9% of Internet users rely on them for daily access. Following this are more traditional devices like PCs and laptops. Notably, an increasing number of household appliances are now equipped with smart technology, enabling Internet access through devices such as smart TVs, smartwatches, game consoles, and even smart home systems. These figures highlight the limitless potential of the Internet, especially during this era of explosive AI development.
The convenience of mobile devices is undeniable. However, data from Stat counter reveals that some countries still heavily rely on computers for web activities. For instance, in Denmark and nations like Switzerland, Japan, and Sweden, mobile devices are almost a secondary choice, accounting for less than 30% of web activity. This statistic partially explains why these countries are among those with the lowest Internet usage time globally.
Despite the growing trend, with the Internet being used for a variety of purposes, device exclusivity is not entirely applicable. This is a challenge for marketers to have the right orientation according to the business model, goals and audience when setting up strategies.
This is quite an interesting statistic, Internet users spend up to 6 hours and 36 minutes every day online, but 94.6% of that time is for chatting, exchanging, and connecting. Along with that, accessing Social Media is also up to 94.4% and finally to search or access specialized websites.
This is no longer a new thing because chatting and exchanging via cyberspace has long been a boom in the digital technology industry with Yahoo, followed by Facebook (Meta) or WhatsApp, Linked, or even Tinder.
At present, the Internet is no longer a tool for entertainment when most users use it mostly for work tasks such as checking mail 74.8% - also a tool for communication and exchange. Shopping, Auctions - 75.6% is also a trend with social networking sites allowing advertising or even online buying and selling.
The main purpose of Internet users is still focused on 3 main trends. Connect - Search - Entertainment. Search for something like Finding Information - 62.6%, Researching How To Do Things - 50.6%, Finding New Ideas or Inspiration - 46.6%. Connect, communicate, chat with 60.1%.
And Finding is becoming a phenomenon with AI or Chat GPT at the end of the year. Chat GPT has been continuously breaking the parameters since June 2024. However, the super app is no longer a “Dark horse” but has affirmed its position with steady growth after nearly two years since its public launch.
Although the trend does not change, the exploitation or strategy of applying the Internet to businesses is always moving. Even big companies like Instagram have to change and update before the influence of Tiktok. Or X is gradually regaining the market and developing strongly in accordance with the almost complete restructuring.
There have been 180 million new users joining social media since the start of the year, compared to 5.04 billion users at the beginning of the year. However, time spent on social media has decreased, with the average time spent on social media falling to 2 hours and 19 minutes. Although the data is broken down by age group from 16 to 64, the 16 to 34 age group is still the main reason for these changes.
With such an abundance of resources, the problem for marketers is how to convert them into potential customers. And although this is no longer new, advertising campaigns are still an effective strategy to bring traffic.
The numbers say it all
Not only is Meta gradually changing user habits with Threads, it is also owning a huge industry. According to the latest report, with Meta's advertising planning tools, businesses can maintain traffic of nearly 3 billion people per month. In addition, data from GWI, data.ai, Similarweb, and Semrush, shows that:
For comparison, that means that most Facebook users see ads on the platform, but about 15 percent of Instagram users may not see any Instagram ads in a typical month, while about 1 in 4 active Messenger users fall outside of that platform's "advertising audience."
But don’t get me wrong, reaching doesn’t mean you can convert viewers into customers. Audiences don’t care whether we label what they’re watching “TV,” “social media,” or some other arbitrary industry term. People just want to be entertained, stimulated, inspired, and connected. So what you need to do is focus on attention.
Well, perhaps one of the most notable insights from this new data is that TikTok’s total global advertising audience is now almost the same as Instagram’s.
At the moment, Instagram is up 0.7% YTD at 1.68 billion, while TikTok is up 1.69 billion. But the numbers reported in Bytedance’s ad feed show that TikTok ads are approaching 1.56 billion impressions, just 5.5% behind Meta in terms of growth potential.
But when looking at conversions, the 18+ age group is more effective. Both apps have an equal reach of 1.56 billion so far. But, we have a big difference here in terms of the number of audiences reached by ads, TikTok is almost overwhelming.
To illustrate this point, we all know the story of the “Sanctions” in India and the United States. The two countries are having a direct impact on the performance of the applications. On the other hand, the metrics clearly show the difference in the love for these two platforms in the two hemispheres. The west clearly shows the love and popularity of Instagram, while the east or especially Southeast Asia is clearly showing the influence of Tiktok.
So, as usual, different platforms can bring different benefits and advantages, depending on the goals that the marketer wants to achieve.
What is noteworthy?
According to the latest report, QR codes have gained the right attention. The percentage of internet users interacting with QR codes has increased significantly over the past few years, from 44.3 percent in Q2 2022 to 50.5 percent in Q2 2024.
Thread has also returned to its roots, recording significant growth in Q2. This comes after Thread had some initial hiccups when it first launched. While it doesn’t give specifics, data.ai figures show that more than a quarter of a billion users opened the Threads mobile app by August 2024. But the road to becoming one of the top icons is still quite arduous.
Overall, our top 6 media have not changed much in the past year. However, the search, exploitation and potential trends of the audience have quietly moved in each region. As the technological shift gradually moves from the West to the East.
It can be said that the left hemisphere is still a pioneer, adapting well to technological movements and audience trends. The other side is influenced by population, viewer potential, trends and especially the ability to apply to life. Grasping the movement of the application, marketers will need to exploit the characteristics of the audience as well as the objects they need to focus on.
One of the most heavily banned apps, Telegram still has a monthly user base of 950 million. While it’s difficult to come up with a specific number for Telegram, the fact that both GWI and Data.ai have similar numbers suggests that the legal challenges haven’t had much of an impact.
At the time of Datareport’s report, Snapchat had a 2.4% increase from the previous quarter, reaching 432 million daily active users. But 850 million monthly active users is still not an impressive number.
Linkedin has continued to record new milestones in 2024, with a growth rate of +4%. The platform has quickly reached nearly 2 billion people to date. It is worth mentioning that Linkedin's advertising reach is very outstanding, recording a growth of 16% compared to the same period last year.
As 2024 comes to an end, the social media revolution is beginning. This shift clearly shows that the habits and opinions of audiences are constantly changing. The most accurate way for marketers or businesses is always to focus on customers, identify the right audience and orient a suitable next strategy. It is a fact that in any marketing story, the real, accurate truth always attracts special interest from the audience.
Nathan McDonald, Co-founder and CEO of We Are Social, commented: “Social media is increasingly playing an important role in how people connect. In addition to building communities, it is also a space for product research and much more. TikTok exemplifies this change by redefining online interactions. The effect must be consistent by building communities first on social platforms. Each platform, like Pinterest for social commerce or Facebook for community connection, has its own strengths. Marketers should leverage these differences to effectively engage customers in the right ways.”
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