Statistics regarding social media are often considered a marketer’s best friend, which is why we decided to show you how users choose to engage with each platform, while also highlighting the new trends to watch in 2022.

With the help of John Bennet, an experienced data and communications engineer, writer, and cross-platform content editor with a particular interest in cybersecurity, the Marketing PixelFlowAgency team has compiled some of the most recent and valuable studies on how social media works to help you improve your social marketing strategy.

By understanding how social media channels operate, you can gain valuable insights about demographics, how users typically behave on each platform, and what they find attractive and interesting.

We can say that this year has been explosive for social media activity as a whole. Despite online regulations, recalling the Twitter hashtag revolution and the Facebook privacy scandal, the internet has provided a true theatrical performance from which the best have learned valuable lessons.

Even so, very few users, if any, have given up using the internet. Most of us continue to spend the majority of our day online, connecting across various platforms with friends, family, and the world in general.

1. The GDP of countries worldwide appears to be closely linked to internet penetration, with wealthier countries having higher internet access and vice versa. A 98.4% difference in the number of users was recorded between North Korea and Qatar.

Despite its size and population, North Korea accounts for only 0.06% of internet access, while Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have an estimated 99% of their citizens online.

2. Africa has grown by nearly 10,000% in the last 18 years, while North America has seen a 219% increase.

3. Due to lower infrastructure availability, internet usage is most widespread in North America and Northern and Western Europe, with penetration rates exceeding 90%, while remaining low, around 20%, in Central and Eastern Africa.

4. Users in Thailand spend more time online each day than anywhere else in the world. Their activity averages 9 hours and 38 minutes per day, which is 3 hours and 8 minutes more than the US average. In Kenya and Morocco, experts report citizens spend less than 4 and 3 hours per day, respectively.

5. Wondering what the most popular operating system worldwide is? The high cost of Apple devices makes it an unusual choice, with Mac OS X and iOS together accounting for 18.47%.

However, Android dominates with a 40.06% share, followed by Windows at 36.74%. Linux is used less, likely because it is open-source – constantly evolving – and not everyone can use it without some technical knowledge.

6. Chrome far surpasses all other browsers. In most poorer African countries, Opera is popular because it uses less data than Chrome. Therefore, it may be the best option if you do not rely on the latest device or data plan.

7. It’s no wonder the phrase “Google it” is so famous, considering that 90.61% of users choose Google as their preferred search engine. Relevant ads and fast results are the main reasons for its widespread use. Additionally, Google comes preinstalled on Android devices, the most popular operating system.

8. Facebook remains the most popular social media platform globally, with over one billion active users.

9. Facebook records over 2 billion monthly users, with more than 1 billion visiting the site regularly. YouTube has over 1.5 billion users accessing content, making it the second most popular platform. Pinterest is at the lower end, with only 200 million monthly users.

10. Although Facebook is considered the most popular social media platform globally, in North America, Pinterest, with 30.42% of users, has become its toughest competitor. This change is due to recent privacy scandals reported more frequently in the US than elsewhere.

11. While most social media platforms are used equally by men and women, statistics indicate higher usage among women. These differences are most pronounced on Pinterest, with a huge 25% gap. A study shows that women use it more as a motivational or inspirational tool, while men use it more as a bookmarking tool.

12. Overall, social media usage decreases with age. However, LinkedIn and WhatsApp usage has increased by about 5% in the 30-49 age group. LinkedIn is popular in this group because it is a professional networking site, and people aged 30-49 are at a critical stage in their careers. WhatsApp usage in this age group is likely more about convenience than attachment to the app.

13. It’s no surprise that 52% of internet browsing happens on mobile phones. Interestingly, even though 25% of online users use a VPN to access the internet, they still prefer to connect from a desktop or laptop (43%) rather than a tablet (4%).

The reasons for using a VPN can vary from bypassing online censorship, accessing geo-restricted content, to security purposes (ExpressVPN and NordVPN are the world’s most popular VPNs). These providers help users overcome VPN restrictions and online censorship, whether using smartphones, laptops, desktops, tablets, or other devices.