Daily social media usage worldwide 2012-2020

How much time do people spend on social media?

As of 2019 and 2020, the average daily social media usage of internet users worldwide amounted to 145 minutes per day, up from 142 minutes in the previous year. Currently, the country with the most time spent on social media per day is the Philippines, with online users spending an average of three hours and 53 minute on social media each day. In comparison, the daily time spent with social media in the U.S. was just two hours and three minutes.

Global social media usage

Currently, the global social network penetration rate is nearly 54 percent. Western Europe had a 79 percent social media penetration rate, topping the ranking of global social media usage by region. Eastern and Middle Africa closed the ranking with ten and eight percent usage reach, respectively. People access social media for a variety of reasons. Users like to find funny or entertaining content and enjoy sharing photos and videos with friends, but mainly use social media to stay in touch with current events friends.

Global impact of social media

Social media has a wide-reaching and significant impact on not only online activities but also offline behavior and life in general. During a global online user survey in February 2019, a significant share of respondents stated that social media had increased their access to information, ease of communication, and freedom of expression. On the flipside, respondents also felt that social media had worsened their personal privacy, increased a polarization in politics and heightened everyday distractions.