Top 20 Viral Facts about Social Media

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Top 20 Viral Facts about Social Media

Can you imagine a world without social media in our modern day? It has taken over the world and revolutionized our daily lives. From the way we communicate, our interactions with each other, and how we do business. Social media is at the center of our everyday life.

Moreover, social media has changed our society in many ways. It plays an important role in shaping our world. Thus this article will unveil the viral truths about social media to give you insights into both the good and bad of social media. Further, explore the effects of social media in our society. Read on for more.

Here are the 20 Viral Facts about Social Media.

1. Facebook leads the trend

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There’s the phrase that, if Facebook was a country, it would be bigger than China. As per January 2023 reports, Facebook is ahead of all social media networks in the number of monthly active users. Facebook prides itself on over 2.9 billion users. What’s more, the Facebook daily active users (DAU) are about 2.0 billion.

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2. YouTube is the second most popular network

It has at least 2.5 billion users worldwide as per January 2023 statistics. The ages 15 to 35 years are the largest age group using YouTube. On top of that, YouTube is considered the second largest search engine after Google.

3. Men watch YouTube more

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Analysis of YouTube users by gender shows that men make up 56% of the total number of users while women are about 44 percent.

4. Instagram hit the 2 billion mark users in 2021

After its launch on 6 October 2010, Instagram reached the 2 billion mark of users in the third quarter of 2021. As of January 2023, the platform has over 2.3 billion monthly active users (MAUs).

5. Instagram has had a quick rise

The network entered the space in October 2010 and by December of the same year, it reached 1 million active users. To shed more light, it took Instagram three or so months to achieve the number of users that platforms like Twitter took two years to build.

6. TikTok has also come up the ladder fast

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The official launch of Tik Tok happened in September 2016. This social media network reached 1 billion users by the end of 2021. By early 2023 reports, the platform had over 1.53 billion users. Better still, at least 1 billion out of those are monthly active users.

7. The Twitter logo was named in honor of an acclaimed basketballer

Twitter’s logo (blue bird) has a name, it’s Larry Bird. The name was given in honor of the basketball great Larry Bird.

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8. Global leaders use Twitter to communicate

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Twitter’s official launch took place on 21 March 2006. As of January 2023, the network had over 450 million monthly active users. Better still, about 237 million are potential monetizable daily active users of the platform. World leaders such as entrepreneurs, government officials, and others use Twitter to reach their audience.

9. It’s a new form of entertainment

With the sharing of funny memes, videos, and photos, social media has become a source of entertainment for users. Artists like musicians, comedians, and so on are also using these networks to showcase their craft.

10. Social media is a worldwide marketplace

Businesses are meeting with new customers and interacting with their existing customer base via social media platforms. Online buying and selling throughout the globe increase each day.

11. The average person spends over two hours daily on social media

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About 59% of the world’s population is on social media. Thus the estimated time spent by the average person on social media is at least 2 hours. This is according to research reports as of January 2023.

12. Influencers are making a killing out of social media

Social media influencers are earning millions of dollars through promoting products on their social media accounts.

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13. Social media is addictive

The overuse of social media can lead to addiction. Experts explain that social media drives surges of the brain’s feel-good hormones. Further, the shares, likes, and comments on these platforms trigger the brain’s reward center so this keeps users returning to the platforms.

To boot, psychological experts add that the high or excitement caused by overusing social media is like the feeling caused by the use of drugs or gambling.

14. Social media can affect mental health

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Social media can spark or increase mental-related issues like depression, and anxiety. It can go to the extent of triggering self-harm, and even suicidal thoughts. Additionally, bear in mind that most negative experiences are brought out by others pointing out inadequacies about your life or appearance.

15. More people are tapping into its social support base

Interactions with the right people on social media can provide social support for people undergoing stressful or lonely situations. Those suffering from such issues can identify with like-minded groups or people from all over the world.

16. More people are consuming social media news

Social media platforms have caused a revolution in the way people consume news. More people have diversified from the mainstream media sources of news such as newspapers, TV, radio, and more. Hence they are taking news from social media platforms.

17. It can be a channel to spread fake news

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Social media can be used intentionally to pass on misinformed ideas. Uncertified information can also spread fast on social media networks either out of ignorance or purposely intended for such purposes.

18. It is core to businesses

Social media is a necessity in the business world. Businesses are using their social media accounts to market products. Also, in building their brand awareness as well as keeping in touch with clientele.

19. Communication has seen an overhaul

These social media accounts are the modern-day preference to stay in touch with friends, relatives, colleagues, or close acquaintances.

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20. It’s not just Facebook, the platforms are countless

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Social media networks are many. Yet the most popular ones based on the number of users worldwide are Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Twitter, Snapchat, and Pinterest.

Furthermore, Facebook has more than 2.9 billion sign-ups, YouTube stands at 2.5 billion users and WhatsApp enjoys 2.2 billion users. Instagram has a record of 2 billion users, TikTok boasts 1.53 billion, LinkedIn has 900 million, and Snapchat has over 500 million. To add on, Pinterest has at least 400 users while Twitter has 300 million. These figures are as of January 2023 statistics.

Here are quick viral facts about social media

21. LinkedIn is the most popular for professional networking.

22. Social media can mobilize global political agendas like the Black Lives Matter movement and others.

23. Social media is a center for creating awareness on important issues like climate change, mental health, and more.

24. Social media is an educational resource through informative articles, videos, and tutorials.

25. It can be a stepping stone for artists to meet global recognition when users share their creative work.

Social media is at the center of much of modern-day activities. From communication, entertainment, business operations, and more. Hence the above list is our round-up of the viral facts about social media.