WhatsApp is the most popular social media in South Africa. As of the third quarter of 2023, some 94 percent of internet users in the country used the messaging app. Facebook and Tiktok followed, with a penetration rate of around 88 percent and 74 percent, respectively. The potential audience of Facebook that can be reached with advertisements amounted to 22.2 million.
Internet and social media users keep increasing
The number of internet users in South Africa has registered a growth since 2018. In 2022, some 48.4 million South Africans accessed the internet, compared to 36 million four years earlier. Consequently, active social media users also faced a boom in number. By January 2022, individuals actively using social media platforms increased to 28 million, nearly three times higher than in 2014.
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We Are Social, & Hootsuite, & DataReportal. (February 23, 2024). Most used social media platforms in South Africa as of the 3rd quarter of 2023 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 22, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1189958/penetration-rate-of-social-media-in-south-africa/
We Are Social, und Hootsuite, und DataReportal. "Most used social media platforms in South Africa as of the 3rd quarter of 2023." Chart. February 23, 2024. Statista. Accessed December 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1189958/penetration-rate-of-social-media-in-south-africa/
We Are Social, Hootsuite, DataReportal. (2024). Most used social media platforms in South Africa as of the 3rd quarter of 2023. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1189958/penetration-rate-of-social-media-in-south-africa/
We Are Social, and Hootsuite, and DataReportal. "Most Used Social Media Platforms in South Africa as of The 3rd Quarter of 2023." Statista, Statista Inc., 23 Feb 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1189958/penetration-rate-of-social-media-in-south-africa/
We Are Social & Hootsuite & DataReportal, Most used social media platforms in South Africa as of the 3rd quarter of 2023 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1189958/penetration-rate-of-social-media-in-south-africa/ (last visited December 22, 2024)
Most used social media platforms in South Africa as of the 3rd quarter of 2023 [Graph], We Are Social, & Hootsuite, & DataReportal, February 23, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1189958/penetration-rate-of-social-media-in-south-africa/