Research indicates social media usage up 14% in 2016

social media

16 million Australians are now on social media

Jason Howie

• 16 million Australians are now on social media
• Global social media usage up 21% in 2016
• 91% of social media users access social on mobile

Research commissioned by social media management platform Hootsuite and the social media agency We Are Social has reported on social media and digital trends around the world. Examining data from 238 countries, the sixth annual report finds 50% of the world is now connected to the internet and examines the opportunities that increasing connectivity has for organisations worldwide.

The 2017 key findings include: 

• Internet penetration increased by 10% in the last 12 months to hit 3.77b, or 50% of the world’s population.
• Global social media use has increased by 21% in the last 12 months, reaching 2.8b users globally
• Mobile social media use has increased by 30% year-over-year to surpass 2.5b users globally, with 91% of social media users accessing social from mobile.

In Australia, social penetration saw double-digit growth at 14%. A total of 16m Australians are now on social media, 57% of whom access social via mobile devices. Australia’s mobile social usage further cements its 68% lead over the global average. As a result, organisations should plan to transform their communications strategy to increase customer engagement and real-time interaction across the customer journey.

“One of the greatest opportunities of a digitally connected world is the ability to have immediate conversations, wherever and whenever customers want. Social media not only enables organisations to amplify its brand, but also build trust, credibility and human relationships at scale. It is now as much the responsibility of the top executive as the social media manager,” said Roger Graham, senior director, Growth and Marketing, APAC, Hootsuite.

“Half of the world’s population is now online, which is a testament to the speed with which digital connectivity is helping to improve people’s lives. The increase in internet users in developing economies is particularly encouraging,” said Simon Kemp, We Are Social. “Given this latest data, it’s probably time for us to stop referring to social as ‘new media’, and integrate it more seamlessly into our day-to-day activities.”

The report compiles data from the world’s largest studies of online behaviour, conducted by organisations including GlobalWebIndex, GSMA Intelligence, Statista, and Akamai in a comprehensive state of social media reference.

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