It’s hard to believe, but 2022 is here! What will the social media landscape look like in 5 years? Which platforms will be on the rise, and which ones will have fallen out of favor? Here is our list of the top 10 social media apps and sites that are likely to dominate in 2022. All the mentioned statistics are properly researched in 2022.
Facebook – 2.89 Billion Monthly Active Users
The king of social media is still going strong and will continue to be a top choice for users in 2022.
People use Facebook to see their friends, family, and the news. They do this by using different parts of it. For example, they can read written updates or watch videos on Facebook Live or in ephemeral video posts in Facebook Stories. Marketers might buy ads on Facebook to reach new customers. Recently, people have been able to shop for things in-person at a store they find on Facebook called “Facebook Shops.”
Some interesting facts about Facebook usage are:
- Despite criticism of Facebook’s role in spreading disinformation, 36% of US citizens say they regularly use the platform as a source of news.
- The average American user spends up to 38 minutes per day on Facebook.
- India has the most active Facebook users (290 million), the US is second (190 million), and Indonesia third (140 million).
- 73% of all Facebook users in the US log in on a daily basis. 93% use Facebook weekly, and 98% log in at least once a month.
YouTube – 2.29 Billion Active Users
YouTube has 2.29 billion monthly active users, or MAU. You could call it a video platform or the world’s second-largest search engine. For established brands with big-gun marketing agencies, YouTube ads running before or in the middle of original videos aren’t too different from what you would run on the TV (television).
Meanwhile, for brands building their own YouTube channel by posting original videos, it’s important to play nice with the YouTube algorithm which takes some combination of skill, strategy, budget, and luck. But there are also other things that you can do to get your video seen more often by people who might like it.
YouTube overcame many obstacles to become the world’s leading video-sharing platform. They were able to do this in only 16 months after their official launch. YouTube is also one of a few social media platforms that reach very young age groups. A 2020 study conducted by Pew Research revealed that US children who are 11 years old or younger watch YouTube videos often.
Most parents said their children watched YouTube videos. About 80% of all parents said that their children watch YouTube at least once a day. About half of parents say their children watched YouTube once a day, and the other half say they watched it more than that.
WhatsApp – 2.0 Billion Active Users
WhatsApp is a cross-platform mobile messaging app that enables you to exchange messages without having to pay for SMS.
One of the few social networking platforms with a user base of over 2 billion, WhatsApp reached that in 2020. The app’s recent growth has been astonishing, with the last billion users joining in less than 4 years! Because it resists traditional advertising and offers limited marketing options, WhatsApp is not as good for businesses as other social networking apps. But still, it offers value because it is a way to communicate with customers.
WhatsApp is a messaging app with over 50 million businesses that use it. It’s useful for businesses because it allows them to easily talk to their customers and also show their products in a catalog. Recently, Facebook announced that brands using the WhatsApp Business App will be able to create Facebook and Instagram ads that allow users to “click to WhatsApp” in order to start a conversation on the app.
Messenger – 1.3 Billion Active Users
Facebook Messenger is the other app for private messaging that Facebook owns. Facebook has been focusing on private messaging, and there are a few key differences between Messenger and WhatsApp:
- Facebook does not offer end-to-end encryption to its users. This means that people can see what you write on Facebook.
- Additionally, Facebook serves a variety of ads (including sponsored messages, inbox ads, etc.).
- Facebook also links all of a user’s contacts from both Instagram and Facebook.
In 2019, a Facebook poll found that 64% of people expect to be able to message brands for customer service.
Statista found that 12.1% of US mobile phone owners are using WhatsApp, while 56.8% of people are using Facebook’s Messenger app. People who are;
- 13-17 years old use 1.7% of the app,
- 18-24 year olds use 14.7%,
- 25-34 year olds represent 27.3%,
- 35-44 year olds come in second with 21%, and
- 45-51 year olds account for 14%.
Instagram – 2 Billion Monthly Active Users
Instagram was created in 2009 by Kevin Systrom, who used the money from an early round of seed funding to make the app more broadly appealing. The app originally focused on attracting people who loved whiskey and bourbon, but Systrom pivoted it to be something with better image manipulation technology and a more immersive social experience than any other image-sharing service. As a result, Instagram became a huge success. In April 2012, Facebook acquired Instagram for $1 billion.
Instagram with 2 billion MAU is a very popular app for people under the age of 35. In the US, it is used by about 70% of businesses for marketing. They get more people to engage with their posts when they post on Instagram instead of Facebook, which also has similar features and mechanisms for engagement.
WeChat – 1.22 Billion Monthly active users
WeChat is a social media app that is popular in China. People use it to message each other, call each other, and do many other things. A lot of people in China use it, and according to one survey, 73% of people have used it in the past month.
Even though WeChat shares users’ private information with the Chinese government, the app is still very popular. This is because WeChat is useful for a lot of things. In 2018, 98.5% of Chinese mobile users between the ages of 50 and 80 registered for WeChat. This shows how popular WeChat is among older age groups.
For businesses looking to expand their efforts in China, it will be important to look into WeChat marketing—whether that’s advertising, influencer campaigns, in-app e-commerce, or building out a mini-app within WeChat.
TikTok – 1B Million Monthly Active Users
TikTok is a social media app. It has millions of monthly active users and was the top downloaded app in 2020. TikTok does not have as much sway with people who are older, but it does have a lot of sway with teenagers and Gen Z. For instance, TikTok is now the second favorite social platform for teenagers after Instagram and before Snapchat.
TikTok was in the top five downloaded apps two years ago, but now it’s number one. It’s not just beating its nearest rival, WhatsApp, it’s beating it by 250 million downloads! TikTok still needs to work on getting more people to download the app and use it if they want to catch up with their rivals.
LinkedIn – 610 Million Active Users
LinkedIn was founded in May 2003 by Reid Hoffman, Allen Blue, Konstantin Guericke, Eric Ly, and Jean-Luc Valliant. It is a business-oriented social networking service.
LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 610 million users in more than 200 countries and territories.
LinkedIn’s user base skews older, with a median age of 44 years. In contrast, other social media platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat have a much younger median age.
Millennials make up 87 million of LinkedIn’s users. Out of those, 63 million use the site on their mobile devices each month. However, only 3 million users share content weekly, and only 1 million users have published an article on LinkedIn.
Douyin – 600 million active users
Douyin is a Chinese social media app that is very popular. It has over 600 million active users. Brands that want to reach young people in China should consider using it.
Douyin is like TikTok, but it is for a Chinese audience. They are both owned by the same company, but they are different apps that are marketed to different demographics.
In China, Douyin has become very popular for luxury brands to market their products. However, some luxury brands have had difficulty creating meaningful engagement with young users on Douyin.
Unlike TikTok, Douyin has embraced user-monetization and provided content creators with more concrete mechanisms to generate revenue from their videos.
QQ – 595 million active users
QQ was first created in 1999 as a response to ICQ, which was created by Israel. QQ is owned by Tencent, which also owns WeChat. However, WeChat has become more popular than QQ. In 2019, QQ had 647 million users.
QQ became a popular business communication platform because it handled file transfers very well. This created a network effect where companies had to use QQ because all their partners and clients were using it.
Since QQ was first to market with this useful platform, it became very successful in China. However, QQ has not been as successful in other parts of the world.
Keep in mind that QQ’s desktop and mobile messaging attracts a younger demographic than WeChat. And with granular advertising options and in-app e-commerce, it is a fully developed channel.
Sina Weibo – 511 Million Active Users
Weibo is China’s answer to Twitter. It is the oldest and the largest micro-blogging platform in China. It has survived many other Chinese competitors and even surpassed Twitter’s user base. Marketers will be pleased with Weibo because it has a powerful advertising back-end, influencer channels, as well as a native lottery feature.
Companies like to use Weibo as a marketing platform. It is especially popular among international brands who want to market to China. Recently, Tourism Australia won an award at a summit with the most promising and popular outbound destination in China.
There are problems with Weibo because of government censorship and it does not do much for stopping the information from getting out even if they try hard. This is bad for foreign companies trying to market themselves in China where 1/3 of the people live, but they keep trying anyway because it can be successful sometimes.
Telegram – 500 Million Active Users
Telegram is an instant messaging platform that allows large group chats and public channels. It is different than WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger because it focuses more on groups and channels than on individual chats. It was founded by the founders of VK, a social media platform. Security experts think Signal is better for privacy-conscious users, but Telegram says they will introduce an ad platform soon to generate revenue.
According to Hootsuite, Android Telegram users spend more time on the app than those using Facebook Messenger. The social media specialists report that the average user spends 2.9 hours per month on Telegram, compared to Messenger’s 2.7.
According to The Guardian, between January 1 and January 12 of 2021, WhatsApp had fallen from the 8th most downloaded app in the UK to 23rd.
However, during roughly the same period of time (January 1 – January 21), Telegram gained approximately 25 million new users. This was a 5% increase in their user base in just three weeks! Additionally, it became the world’s most downloaded app for both Android and iPhone users during a month that WhatsApp would rather forget.
Snapchat – 498 Million Active Users
This app is perfect for younger users who want more privacy than what Facebook offers.
Snapchat is a camera-first, disappearing content app. It started in 2011 and is owned by Snap. Snapchat has stories that people like to use because they are easy to make. People copy the Snapchat stories but it doesn’t stop Snapchat’s users from using them. The majority of its users are under 34 years old, so it is popular with teens even though TikTok is catching up with them.
Snapchat has grown in numbers. It is used more outside of the United States and Europe. There are now more people who use Snapchat outside of these two regions than there are in them.
The majority of people between the ages of 13 and 24 use Snapchat. And it has been the most popular social network for people in that age group since 2016.
Kuaishou – 481 Million Active Users
481 million people use Kuaishou (a.k.a. Kwai) app every month. It is mainly known as a Chinese short-video platform that is funded by Tencent and competes with TikTok/Douyin. However, Kwai has also found success in a different area than these apps: live commerce.
Kwai has become an increasingly popular platform for live streamers, with the ability to gift virtual items or buy products from them while they’re live on camera. Brands like Volkswagen have even started partnering up with Kwais’ marketing efforts!
Kuaishou is the second-biggest video-sharing social network in China. They have 80% of Douyin’s total daily active users now. Kuaishou and Douyin both offer similar features, but there are some differences. On Kuaishou, people tend to live stream more than on Douyin. Kuaishou also has a stronger relationship-driven approach to content recommendation. Around half of the content in a user’s feed comes from accounts that they follow or are friends with on the platform whereas only 10% does for Douyin users.
Pinterest – 442 Million Active Users
Pinterest, the app where you can make a board of pictures to help you plan things, has been getting more popular because of the pandemic. For example, in 2020 their popularity outside of America increased by 46%.
Brands need to know that Pinterest is starting to get popular outside of the United States. In January 2021, the vast majority (23%) of users find themselves in the US. The next closest territory is Germany which has 3.9% of users. France has 2.7%
Pinterest is a good place for brands to advertise. It has the most positive reputation of any social media app. 92% of advertisers on Pinterest agree that it has the most positive reputation of any social media app.
In their 2020 Q4 earnings report, the company announced that they saw an increase of 46% in international monthly active users. In the same period, there was a modest domestic increase of 11% in new monthly active users. The gap between male and female users is getting smaller. In the year, 2020, they have shown a 50% increase in male users.
Reddit – 430 Million Active Users
There are 430 million active users on Reddit each month. Reddit was founded in 2005 and is owned by Conde Nast. Recently, it has been making new moves (like buying Dubsmash and rolling out new features) while seeing daily usage grow 44% year over year.
Most marketers will probably find one subreddit that has your target audience. But you can’t market there. Ads are allowed, but they should follow the rules of the website. That means not being too hard-sell or posting branded content or influencer marketing. Many users find Reddit as their go-to personal and professional support platform.
More than 1 in 4 adults in the United States use Reddit to read and share information. Reddit.com is currently ranked as the 8th most popular website in the United States, and its visitors stay on the site for an average of 20 minutes – longer than Amazon, Wikipedia, Yahoo, Twitter, and eBay.
Nearly half of Reddit’s desktop traffic comes from America, while the UK and Canada are close behind. Australia lags behind a bit, with only 4% of traffic coming from there.
Right now, Reddit has over 2.2 million subreddits – or independent communities – on a variety of topics.
Twitter – 330 Million Active Users
Twitter was created by Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams, Biz Stone, and Noah Glass in March 2006 and launched as a web app. It became a mobile app in August 2008.
Twitter has received a lot of bad press. People say that the 280-character limit (formerly 140 characters) doesn’t allow for reasoned debate and that there are millions of fake bots on the site.
But if you want instant news, reactions, and to follow celebrities or journalists, Twitter is great. You can save videos from Twitter.
Brands can use Twitter. They can do it by using their voice. They could also do customer service on Twitter. And finally, they can advertise on Twitter to reach people who are interested in what they are selling.
Quora – 300 Million Active Users
Quora is a Q&A platform with 300 million monthly active users. It was founded in 2009 and has been around for a long time, but it’s still growing quickly. In 2020, their user base grew by 50%.
Brands should know that Quora is good for SEO because of the high-quality content on the platform. Posts on Quora can rank very high in Google, and many people use it as a source of information.
Quora is also good for branding because it has a positive reputation. Over 90% of users say that they have a positive experience with the platform – more than any other social media site. This makes it a great place to build a strong brand reputation.
VKontakte – 72 Million Active Users
VKontakte is a Russian social media app with over 72 million active users. It was founded in 2006 and is the most popular social media site in Russia.
Russian brands should be aware of VKontakte’s popularity in Russia and should consider advertising on the platform. It has a very positive reputation among Russian users, with 97% of users reporting a positive experience.
VKontakte has many of the same features, including groups, pages, private messaging, event management, image tagging, and in-app games.
Clubhouse – 10 Million Weekly active users
The Clubhouse is a social app for people to talk and listen together. Some rooms can hold thousands of people and they can talk in the chatrooms.
Clubhouse is an app that needs an invite code to join. It’s the newest app on this list, but it’s also the smallest. Users are only allowed if they have an Apple device too. With slow growth, 10 million users is fairly impressive because there are no ads and not much room for organic content from brands.
Tumblr – 420 million Monthly Users:
Tumblr was created by David Karp in February 2007 and launched as a beta site. It became a full site in May 2007.
In 2013, Yahoo! acquired Tumblr for $990 million. In 2017, it was estimated that Tumblr was worth $800 million.
Tumblr is an app/website where people can post pictures and videos. People can follow other people’s Tumblrs. If you have a Tumblr, it might be private.
Brands can use Tumblr to create an account and post pictures, videos, and articles. They can also reblog other people’s posts. Reblogging is when you take a post from another person’s Tumblr and put it on your own Tumblr. This helps to spread the brand’s message to more people.
Ask.fm – 338 Million Yearly Users
Ask.fm is a social media site where people can ask questions and get answers from other people. It was founded in Latvia in 2010 and has over 338 million yearly users.
Brands should be aware that Ask.FM is popular among teenagers and many of the questions are about personal topics such as relationships, school, and hobbies.
XING – 20M Users
XING is a social media site for professionals. It was founded in Germany in 2003 and has over 20 million users.
Brands should consider using XING to reach business professionals. The site has a good reputation among users, with an 89% satisfaction rating.
XING is a popular social networking site that is used more often in Europe. If you want to use the advanced search feature on the site, you will need to pay a monthly fee.
Nextdoor
Nextdoor is a social media site for neighborhoods. It was founded in 2010 and has over 110,000 neighborhoods.
Brands should consider using Nextdoor to connect with local customers. The site has a good reputation among users, with an 89% satisfaction rating.
Nextdoor is only available in the United States. It is a site where people can post about things that are happening in their neighborhood, such as lost pets, garage sales, and recommendations for local businesses.
Myspace – 7 Million Monthly Users (As of 2019)
Myspace was founded in 2003 by Tom Anderson and Chris DeWolfe. It was the most popular social networking platform from 2005 to 2008.
Myspace is still alive. It is a social network that is focused on music. You can listen to music and chat with other users about it. There is also a stream of news and opinion articles about the wider industry.
Social Media Apps FAQs
What are the top 10 social media apps?
The top social media apps in 2022 are Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, WeChat, Snapchat, LinkedIn, TikTok, Douyin, QQ.
What is the difference between a social networking site and a social media app?
A social networking site is like Facebook or LinkedIn. A social media app is like Instagram or Snapchat. Social networking sites are websites where you can create a profile and connect with other people. Social media apps are mobile-only applications that allow you to share photos and videos with your friends.
How do social media apps make money?
Most social media apps make money by selling advertising. Advertisers can show their ads to users who meet certain criteria, such as age, gender, or interests.
What apps are considered social media?
The apps that are considered social media are Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, WeChat, Snapchat, LinkedIn, TikTok, Douyin, QQ. These apps allow users to share photos and videos with their friends. They also usually have a newsfeed where users can see updates from their friends and family.
How to block social media apps?
On an iPhone, you can block social media apps by going to Settings > General > Restrictions. You can then turn on the restriction for social media apps. On an Android phone, you can block social media apps by going to Settings > Apps. You can then disable the app that you want to block.
On an Android, you can also use a third-party app to block social media apps. One popular app is called AppLock. It allows you to password-protect any app on your phone, including social media apps.
Can I use social media in China?
Yes, you can use social media in China. However, some of the most popular social media apps, such as Facebook and YouTube, are blocked in China. There are a few workarounds that you can use to access these apps, but they are not always reliable.
How many social media users are there?
Most of the world uses social media. 4.62 billion people use social media and 424 million more people have started using it in the last year.
Which social media app has a ghost as its mascot?
Snapchat is a social media app with a ghost as its mascot. The ghost is called “Ghostface Chillah.” He was named after the Ghostface Killah from the rap group Wu-Tang Clan.
What does the red dot mean on WeChat?
The red dot means that the person you are chatting with is online and available to chat with.
What is the difference between WeChat and WhatsApp?
WeChat and WhatsApp are both messaging apps. However, they have a few key differences. WeChat is more popular in China, while WhatsApp is more popular in India. WeChat also has more features than WhatsApp, such as the ability to make payments and book appointments.
What is the difference between LinkedIn and Facebook?
LinkedIn is a professional social networking site. It allows you to connect with other professionals, find jobs, and promote your business. Facebook is a social networking app for friends and family. It allows you to connect with your friends and share photos and videos.
What is the difference between Instagram and Snapchat?
Instagram is a social media app for sharing photos and videos. It was created by Facebook in 2010. Snapchat is a social media app for sharing photos and videos that expire after a few seconds. It was created by two students at Stanford University in 2011.
Do social media apps track your location?
Yes, most social media apps track your location. This is how they can show you targeted ads based on where you are. You can usually choose to disable this feature in the app’s settings. However, it is important to note that disabling this feature may impact the app’s functionality.
How does social media affect mental health?
There is mixed evidence on how social media affects mental health. Some studies suggest that social media can lead to negative outcomes, such as depression and anxiety. However, other studies suggest that social media can have positive outcomes, such as increased self-esteem and connectedness. More research is needed to determine the long-term effects of social media on mental health.
How to become a social media manager?
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. However, some tips on how to become a social media manager include studying social media marketing, building a strong online presence, and networking with other professionals in the industry.
What are the top social media platforms for businesses?
The top social media platforms for businesses include Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. These platforms allow businesses to connect with their customers and share valuable content. They also offer a variety of tools and analytics that help businesses measure the success of their social media campaigns.
What is social media marketing?
Social media marketing is the use of social media platforms to promote a business or brand. It involves creating content that attracts customers and encourages them to interact with the business or brand. Social media marketing can be done through organic or paid methods.
What are some tips for using social media?
Some tips for using social media include creating valuable content, using hashtags, and engaging with your followers. It is also important to be aware of the different platforms and how they work. For example, LinkedIn is a site for professionals, while Instagram is a site for sharing photos and videos.
What are some common social media scams?
Some common social media scams include fake giveaways, phishing scams, and malware scams. It is important to be aware of these scams and how to protect yourself from them. For example, never click on links in suspicious emails or texts, and always verify the legitimacy of a contest before entering it.
What does a social media manager do?
A social media manager is responsible for managing a business’s or brand’s social media accounts. They create and publish content, respond to comments and messages, and measure the success of social media campaigns. A social media manager should have a strong understanding of social media marketing and how to use it to promote a business or brand.
How much do social media managers make?
There is no one answer to this question. Social media managers can make anywhere from $25,000 to $150,000 per year, depending on their experience and skills.
What are some other social media jobs?
Some other social media jobs include social media specialist, community manager, and content creator. These roles vary in terms of responsibilities and pay. However, all of these jobs require a strong understanding of social media marketing and how to use it to promote a business or brand.
How to become a social media influencer?
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. However, some tips on how to become a social media influencer include building a large following, creating valuable content, and partnering with brands. It is also important to be aware of the FTC’s guidelines for sponsored content.
How to make money on social media?
There is no one answer to this question. However, some ways to make money on social media include selling products or services, running ads, and partnering with brands. It is also important to be aware of the FTC’s guidelines for sponsored content.
What does NSFW mean on social media?
NSFW stands for Not Safe For Work. It is used to indicate that the content in a post or tweet is not appropriate for work environments.
How to find someone’s social media?
There are a few ways to find someone’s social media. One way is to use a search engine like Google or Bing. Another way is to use an app or website that specializes in finding social media accounts.
How to market your business on social media?
There is no one answer to this question. However, some tips on how to market your business on social media include creating valuable content, using hashtags, and engaging with your followers. It is also important to be aware of the different platforms and how they work. For example, LinkedIn is a site for professionals, while Instagram is a site for sharing photos and videos.
Final Words
Looking at the data, it’s clear that some social media platforms are more popular than others. However, all of them have something to offer brands. If you’re not sure which platform is right for you, do some research to find out which one would be most effective for your specific needs. There is no single answer when it comes to social media marketing – every brand should use a variety of different platforms in order to reach its target audience.
You need to know a lot about a platform before you start promoting your brand on it. Different platforms have different functions and features. Some popular social media sites are better for some brands than others. You also need to know about the audience on different platforms. Knowing all this will help your branding a lot ... !