Last Thursday, We Are Social unveiled its latest… digital report in collaboration with Meltwater. This report compiles a range of data on the evolving digital landscape, sourced from partners such as GWI, Statista, data.ai, and others, in order to provide an overview of the digital ecosystem as of July 2023. Let us explore today’s key digital trends together.
Key Digital Figures
Key trends in the digital landscape
According to the latest data from the digital report, an interesting trend is emerging: users appear to be spending less time online. This is reflected in an overall decline in average usage across different media over the past year. More specifically, time spent on the internet has fallen by 2.2%, while time spent on social media has decreased by 2%.
However, despite this decline in average usage time, the number of internet and social media users continues to grow, with increases of 2.1% and 3.7% respectively. These figures can be interpreted as the result of the ongoing expansion of the user base, even as online time is being distributed more evenly.
An interesting observation concerns device usage. Smartphone use shows a slight increase of 0.8%, highlighting their growing importance in our digital daily lives. By contrast, personal computer usage has fallen by 3.4%, while tablet usage has seen an even sharper decline of 7.8%. This shift underscores changing user preferences, with smartphones increasingly favored as the primary gateway to online services.
These data provide a compelling snapshot of current digital habits and highlight the importance of understanding how user behaviors are evolving in order to better adapt digital strategies and offerings. They underscore a digital world in continuous transformation.
Time Spent on Digital Media
Internet: a world where two-thirds of the population are connected
The latest data from the report reveal compelling statistics on global internet usage. Here are the key figures to remember :
In July 2023, there were 5.19 billion internet users worldwide, representing 64.5% of the global population. This highlights the growing importance of digital connectivity on a global scale.
The average daily time spent online is estimated at 6 hours and 40 minutes. These figures demonstrate the pervasive role of digital platforms in the daily lives of many people worldwide.
Internet access via smartphones is predominant, with 95.3% of global users using them as their primary means of connection. By contrast, access via personal computers has declined, with only 63.4% of users opting for this option. This trend highlights the growing preference for smartphones as the main gateway to the online world.
One of the main reasons why 59.2% of users go online is to search for information. This pursuit of knowledge remains the leading motivation for using the web, underscoring its crucial role in accessing answers and resources.
Google Chrome dominates the browser market with a 62.58% market share. This success illustrates users’ strong preference for Chrome as their primary browsing tool.
As a search engine, Google continues to reign supreme with an impressive 92.64% market share. This overwhelming dominance underscores the trust users place in Google for their online searches.
The most visited website in the world is google.com, with an impressive 88.1 billion visits per month. It ranks ahead of other web giants such as youtube.com and facebook.com, demonstrating Google’s considerable influence in the global digital landscape.
Rapid growth: social media more powerful than ever
Since the pandemic, there has been a significant increase in the number of social media users worldwide, with a notable rise of 3.7% in just one year, bringing the total to 4.88 billion users. Among them, 46.4% are women, while 53.6% are men. These figures reflect the continued growth in social media adoption, which is playing an increasingly central role in people’s daily lives.
Regarding time spent on social media, the global average is estimated at 2 hours and 26 minutes per day. This highlights the strong appeal and influence of these platforms, encouraging users to devote a significant share of their daily time to them.
The five main reasons for using social media illustrate users’ needs and interests :
Staying in touch with friends and family is the leading motivation for 48.6% of respondents. This highlights the crucial role social media plays in maintaining meaningful social and emotional connections, particularly in an increasingly connected world.
Passing the time is a major reason for 37.3% of users. Social media offers a wide variety of content and entertainment that captures users’ attention and encourages them to spend their leisure time on these platforms.
Reading the news is also an important activity for 34.6% of users. Social media has become a key source of information and storytelling, enabling people to discover and share stories that interest them.
Discovering content is a key motivation for 29.8% of respondents. Social media has become a hub for discovering diverse content, enabling users to access a wide range of media, posts, and creative work.
Keeping up with trends appeals to 28.4% of users. Social media plays a key role in the rapid spread of trends, news, and popular topics, making it a preferred source for staying up to date.
A Comprehensive Overview of Social Media Usage
The power of social media in discovering new brands
According to We Are Social, social media has become an increasingly attractive playground for brands. It now ranks as the third leading source of brand discovery, just behind search engines and television advertising. Around 27.7% of internet users aged 16 to 64 report discovering brands through advertising placements on social platforms.
Among these platforms, Instagram stands out as the most effective leader: more than 62% of its users say they research future purchases or view brand content on the platform. This dominance makes Instagram an essential tool for brands seeking to reach their target audience and generate interest among potential consumers.
Gen Z prefers TikTok for getting information
TikTok stands out as the social platform where users spend the most time, averaging 31 hours and 14 minutes per user per month. YouTube (27 hours and 21 minutes) and Facebook (18 hours and 22 minutes) complete the top three.
In addition, the report highlights TikTok’s growing use for news and information: 11% of respondents in the Digital News Report survey (RISJ) say they use the platform to follow current events, a figure slightly below Twitter (12%). Among 18–24-year-olds, this proportion rises to 20%.
The number of people using TikTok as a source of information has risen remarkably—up by 60% in just one year. This trend underscores TikTok’s growing role as a channel for news and informational content.
Usage of TikTok Among Generation Z
Threads: the new rising star among platforms
The major social media development in recent months has been the arrival of Threads, Meta’s new app designed to compete with Twitter. The report notes that Threads saw phenomenal success, reaching 150 million downloads and 100 million active users worldwide in just one week.
According to We Are Social, this remarkable breakthrough is largely driven by Threads’ integration with Instagram. However, Meta’s main challenge will be to retain users on a separate platform. GWI data indicate that Instagram users are more drawn to entertaining, playful content than to following the news. By contrast, Twitter’s primary use remains keeping up with current events.
It will be interesting to observe how usage motivations evolve for this new Threads service, and whether Meta succeeds in retaining users by offering a distinctive and engaging experience.
