Facebook and LinkedIn are two of the most widely used social networks in the world today. Facebook, founded in 2004, is the largest social network with over 2.9 billion monthly active users as of the fourth quarter of 2022. LinkedIn, founded in 2002, is the world’s largest professional network with over 850 million members as of 2022. Both networks have large global user bases and are leaders in their respective categories of social networking and professional networking. However, when looking at overall popularity and active usage, do Facebook and LinkedIn stand out as the top social networks globally?
Measuring social network popularity
There are a few key metrics that can be used to gauge the popularity and active usage of social networks globally:
– Monthly active users (MAU): The number of unique users who access a platform at least once per month. This indicates the size of the total user base.
– Daily active users (DAU): The number of users who access a platform on a daily basis. This represents the number of “engaged” users.
– User penetration rate: The percentage of a population that uses the platform. This allows comparisons across markets of different sizes.
– Time spent per user: The average time that users spend on the platform per day. This measures the level of user engagement.
By looking at these metrics for major social platforms, one can get a sense of their relative popularity and active usage across the globe. The companies report these usage statistics regularly.
Facebook’s global popularity
As the first true social media network to achieve massive global scale, Facebook has dominated the social media landscape over the past two decades. Let’s examine some key statistics on Facebook’s current user base and engagement levels:
– As noted above, Facebook reported having 2.96 billion monthly active users (MAUs) worldwide at the end of 2022.
– It has a penetration rate of around 37% globally, with over 90% of monthly active users located outside of the US and Canada.
– Around 2 billion people log onto Facebook daily, making it by far the social network with the most daily active users worldwide.
– On average, users spend around 58 minutes per day on Facebook and its family of products.
– Facebook’s MAUs have continued growing, up 16% from 2.6 billion at the end of 2020. Growth remains strong in Asia, Africa, and other emerging markets.
Clearly, Facebook remains the top social network worldwide in terms of monthly users, daily users, and time spent by the average user. It is massively dominant in its core social networking niche.
LinkedIn’s global presence
As the world’s largest professional social network, LinkedIn connects over 850 million members globally. Here is a snapshot of LinkedIn’s member base and usage:
– LinkedIn reported having over 875 million members in over 200 countries and territories at the end of 2022.
– Penetration is around 11% globally, with the highest levels in the U.S. (49%) and the U.K. (33%).
– LinkedIn does not disclose daily active users, but surveys suggest around 40-50% of members use it weekly.
– The average time members spend per month on LinkedIn is around 7.5 hours, or just under 30 minutes per week.
– User growth is cooling from peak levels but remains steady, with membership rising 8% in 2022.
While LinkedIn has achieved impressive scale in the professional social sphere, its overall member base and engagement trails the mainstream social networking numbers of Facebook.
Other major social networks
While Facebook and LinkedIn are two of the largest and most pervasive social platforms, they do face competition from other sizable networks including:
– **YouTube**: Over 2 billion monthly logged-in users visit YouTube, with over 1 billion hours watched per day. It has universal appeal and massive engagement.
– **WhatsApp**: Owned by Meta, it has over 2 billion monthly active users. WhatsApp is widely used internationally.
– **Instagram**: Instagram has over 2 billion global users and is growing, especially with younger demographics.
– **WeChat**: WeChat is ubiquitous in China with over 1.3 billion monthly active accounts.
– **TikTok**: The viral short video app TikTok has around 1 billion monthly active users globally, mostly under 30.
While smaller than Facebook, these other platforms have gained significant scale and engagement in specific user segments or geographies.
Comparative snapshot of user metrics
| Social Network | Monthly Active Users | Daily Active Users | Penetration Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.96 billion | 2 billion | 37% | |
| YouTube | Over 2 billion | N/A | N/A |
| Over 2 billion | N/A | N/A | |
| Over 2 billion | N/A | N/A | |
| Over 1.3 billion | N/A | N/A | |
| Over 850 million | N/A | 11% | |
| TikTok | Over 1 billion | N/A | N/A |
Conclusion
In conclusion, while LinkedIn has established itself as the definitive professional social network and has over 850 million members globally, Facebook remains the leading social platform worldwide when considering total active users and engagement.
Facebook’s 2.96 billion MAUs significantly outnumber LinkedIn’s membership base. And with around 2 billion daily active users spending nearly an hour per day, Facebook sees much heavier actual usage than LinkedIn’s more sporadic member visitation.
Other social apps like YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, WeChat, and TikTok can also claim membership bases over 1 billion, although none match the all-encompassing popularity of Facebook for social networking.
So while LinkedIn dominates the professional sphere, statistics clearly show that Facebook maintains its position as the most widely used social network across the globe. With user growth slowing, however, Facebook may face stiffer competition for the top social spot as apps like TikTok and Instagram rapidly expand their global footprint, especially among younger demographics.