When I present workshops to new business owners in San Luis Obispo interested in social media, I like to present statistics. But it isn’t always easy to compare apples to apples when looking at the data as each social media platform only reveals so much. I started combing through press releases from the social media giants like Facebook and LinkedIn to pull data, then turned to some of my favorite sources like Pew Internet Research and GlobalWebIndex for help. I also found a new source in DMR Digital Statistics. People have been telling me they are hearing rumors about teenagers abandoning Facebook this year and moving to Instagram as part of their argument that I should teach Instagram, so I thought I’d focus my 2015 social media comparison on some of the younger users, like teens and ‘Millennials’ and include Instagram in my investigation. Here is what I found:
| Percentage of US Internet User Adults Who Use | 28% | 71% | 26% | 28% | 23% |
| Monthly Active Users | 100 million | 1.55 billion | 400 million | 100 million | 320 million |
| Percentage of Millennials (15-34) That Use | 13% | 91% | 34% | 27% | 59% |
| Percentage of US Teen (13-17) That Use | 0% | 71% | 52% | 22% | 33% |
I hate to tell you all, but once again Facebook is dominating the statistics. I’m still the most fond of LinkedIn, but I know each platform has its own purpose. Instagram is being used heavily by teenagers, but remember that teens are not necessarily the decision makers to buy your products or services. Keep in mind where the money comes from when you craft your messaging.
And for a little extra fun, I made an infographic on the 2015 social media statistics, too
