How Social Media usage differs around the world Edited

Social media refers to a wide range of interactive websites and applications that allow people to connect and develop relationships. It is designed to share information quickly, efficiently and instantaneously. It helps businesses and organizations grow by gathering information about their customers, answering queries and receiving feedback. According to research conducted by Global WebIndex, social networks are still evolving and their usage and popularity differ across countries. Research suggests that users spend an average of 2 hours and 24 minutes per day on social media.

Some countries are heavy social media users, however, there remains a disparity in the usage of social media and surprisingly, the Western countries are lagging in this aspect. Digital 2020 July Global Snapshot report published by DATAREPORTAL revealed that:

• More than 50% of the world population uses some sort of social media.
• Over 4.5 Billion people around the world have access to and use the internet. Out of that, over 350 Million are “new users”, that is, users that have started using the internet in the last 12 months.
•  The world has more than 5 billion unique mobile users

The last few years have seen tremendous growth in the usage of social media. Developing countries have seen substantial growth in the number of social media consumers. Countries with advanced economies have a comparatively high number of internet users because of which the number of people who use social media is also high. However, Asian countries like the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and South American countries like Brazil dominate social media in terms of users and average time spent.

The key reason why these countries hail as the social media giants worldwide is because of the vast amount of user-generated content that is being made and the increasing number of tourists making visits to those countries. According to a survey, people in many countries rely on social media to get their daily dose of news. Facebook is the most preferred medium to get local, national and international news. New features are being introduced and the old ones are getting updated, which is allowing businesses to get in touch with their target audience in real-time. They also use social media to know about the market structure and strategies for the growth and development of their businesses. Reasons may vary, but the reliability, credibility and use of social media is increasing day by day all across the world.