Facebook Reels is a relatively new short-form video feature that was first launched by Facebook in 2020. It allows users to create and share 15-60 second multi-clip videos set to audio and effects on both Facebook and Instagram. Reels is Facebook’s attempt to compete with the hugely popular app TikTok and capture more engagement from younger audiences. But who exactly is the target audience for Facebook Reels? In this in-depth look, we will examine the demographics, interests, and behaviors of the users most likely to create and consume Reels content.
Key Facts About Reels Users
Here are some quick facts to know about the typical Reels audience:
- Age: 13-34 years old, mostly Gen Z and young Millennials
- Location: Reels is available globally but most popular in the US, India, Mexico, and parts of South America and Southeast Asia
- Gender: Pretty evenly split between male and female
- Interests: Entertainment, comedy, music, dance, fashion, beauty, sports, food
- Motivations for Use: Boredom, creative expression, socializing and trends
- Other Apps Used: TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube
Age Demographics
Although people of all ages use Facebook, Reels tends to appeal most strongly to a younger demographic. Most Reels users fall into the 13-34 age range.
Teens and Early 20s
Generation Z teens and young adults in their early 20s make up a majority of Reels creators and consumers. Many grew up with social media as a big part of their lives and are drawn to new creative platforms like Reels. Short videos align with their consumption preferences.
Late 20s and 30s
Millennials in their late 20s to mid 30s also use Reels regularly. They may have initially gotten on Facebook in college and continued using it. While a bit older than Gen Z, many Millennials are still young at heart and enjoy Reels for entertainment as well as promoting their brands or businesses. Their usage helps bring more maturity and experience to the Reels community.
Younger Kids and Older Adults
While less common, younger children and older adults outside the core 13-34 demographic can be found on Reels too. Younger kids may create Reels with supervision from parents. Older adults may check out Reels to keep up with trends or see content from their extended families. But most usage still centers around the Gen Z and Millennial sweet spot.
Gender
Reels has achieved a pretty even gender breakdown thus far. Facebook has around 2.91 billion monthly active users in total, with a relatively balanced male to female ratio. Both men and women are finding creative ways to use Reels and connect through shared interests like comedy, music, and food.
Here is a table showing the breakdown of Facebook’s total monthly active users worldwide by gender as of the second quarter of 2022:
| Gender | Monthly Active Users | Percentage of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Male | 1.59 billion | 55% |
| Female | 1.32 billion | 45% |
While Reels numbers specifically are not available, the platform seems to have achieved similar gender parity compared to Facebook overall based on anecdotal observation of Reels content and creators. Both men and women actively use Reels daily.
Location
Reels is available as a feature across most countries where Facebook operates. But it has seen the highest adoption in the following countries and regions so far:
- United States
- India
- Mexico
- Brazil
- Indonesia
- Colombia
- South Korea
- United Kingdom
- Germany
India was the first country where Reels launched outside of Brazil in July 2020. Facebook’s services have seen rapid growth there, especially among younger urban users. The US followed in September 2020. Mexico, Brazil, and Indonesia make up Facebook’s next largest user bases overall, contributing to strong Reels adoption.
In general, Reels popularity mirrors Facebook’s top markets rather than geographic regions. But a young demographic and rising middle class with increasing smartphone access have helped boost usage in emerging countries. Western Europe, Turkey, Japan, and parts of the Middle East also show solid Reels user numbers and engagement.
Interests and Habits
What kind of interests and online habits do Reels users have? Here’s a profile of how the typical audience member spends their social media time and what attracts them to content:
Entertainment & Pop Culture
This audience has an insatiable appetite for entertaining videos across genres like comedy, music, movies/TV, sports, gaming, and more general pop culture. They visit Reels for fun, distraction, and boredom relief. Top content features celebrities, influencers, and meme or joke formats.
Music & Dance
The Reels audience responds strongly to music-centric videos featuring new songs, lip syncing, instruments, and album teasers. Dance videos showcasing the latest choreography trends also take off as they inspire viewers to try cool moves themselves.
Comedy
People head to Reels for a quick laugh, whether from stand-up style clips or funny situations and punchlines. Memes, pranks, parody videos, and comedy skits get widely shared. Humor provides an easy way to be entertained and connect.
Fashion & Beauty
Outfits, makeup tutorials, style tips, and shopping hauls captivate young viewers interested in looking trendy and put together. Reels is a hub for all things fashionable, glamorous, and aesthetically pleasing. Beauty vlogging is essentially tailor-made for the short video format.
Food & Cooking
Cooking demos, recipes, restaurant reviews, and mouthwatering foodie content can rack up millions of likes on Reels. Food videos appeal widely across cultures and help foster community. The appetite for tasty videos keeps growing.
Sports & Fitness
Fitness inspiration and sports highlights thrive on Reels. Seeing short clips of amazing athletic feats and workout routines motivates people to get active and healthy. Sports superstars and fitness gurus have built huge followings.
Creativity & Sharing Interests
Many users simply enjoy having an outlet for their creativity through Reels. They can showcase hobbies, interests, skills, and unique talents across any niche. The ease of video creation and remixing with music, effects and trends makes self-expression fun.
Socializing & Trends
The highly social, interactive nature of Reels attracts youth who want to bond over shared interests and keep up with the latest viral content. Trending hashtags challenge users to put their own spin on popular concepts. Reels lets viewers feel plugged into internet zeitgeist.
Motivations for Using Reels
What drives people to use Reels so actively day after day? Here are some of the top motivations:
Boredom Relief
Users can instantly cure boredom by scrolling through an endless stream of entertaining Reels at home, school, or work. Short videos provide constant quick hits of engagement.
Humor & Distraction
Reels offers an escape and mental break from stresses of work, school, or life. Comedy videos in particular provide stress relief. Users enter a zone of light distraction.
Discovery & Trends
The desire to discover new music, influencers, styles, recipes, jokes or trends drives ongoing Reels use. People want to see the latest viral content before their friends.
Inspiration & How Tos
How-to tutorials inspire viewers to create something themselves, whether that’s a new dance, recipe, DIY project or makeup look. Reels unlocks creativity.
Fighting FOMO
FOMO – fear of missing out – is real on social media. Reels provides endless content so users feel connected to internet culture and youth trends.
Personal Branding
Influencers, businesses, and creators use Reels to promote themselves and build a personal brand. Reels allows self-expression and connecting with a niche audience.
Loneliness & Community
Feeling entertained, noticed, and part of an online community combats loneliness. Reels provides a space for people to bond over shared interests, quirks and culture.
Aspiration & Inspiration
Reels lets users envision an aspirational version of themselves and their lives by watching influencers in glamorous locations with perfect style, bodies, and talents.
Other Social Media Platforms Used
As highly active social media users, Reels fans split their time across a variety of platforms in addition to Facebook:
- YouTube – For longer videos, vlogs, music, and more professional video creators
- TikTok – For short videos, memes, trends, challenges, and remix culture
- Snapchat – For private social networking with friends and stories
- Instagram – For photos, influencers, brands, and aesthetically pleasing feeds
- Twitter – For news, events, gossip, and commentary
- Pinterest – For inspiration on fashion, recipes, home décor, and more
- Reddit – For specific communities and niche discussions
Reels users constantly jump between apps depending on their exact need or interest at the moment. But Reels successfully competes for their short-form video time along with TikTok and Snapchat. The integration with Instagram also helps drive ongoing Reels usage within the Facebook ecosystem.
Conclusion
In summary, the core Reels audience consists of teens, young adults and Millennials who crave short videos for discovery, entertainment, self-expression and convenience. Major user hotspots exist in the US, India, Latin America and Southeast Asia, with growth potential across both established and emerging markets.
Facebook designed Reels to give people under 35 – especially Gen Z – a fun way to create, consume, and engage with culturally relevant content. Developing stickiness with younger demographics is critical for Facebook to continue thriving over the next decade and beyond.
The platform’s early success shows it has leveraged the short video format that appeals broadly to youth today. And the social, shareable nature of Reels helps Facebook continue to evolve and solidify its position as a daily online destination.