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Top 10 Most Popular Social Media Platforms in the World

What are the top 10 most popular social media platforms in the world? You’ll be shocked to see that Twitter is not on the list. Find out more!

Published

2 years ago

September 7, 2022

Praise Shogbade

Most Popular Social Media Platforms in the World

Social media is used for almost everything today. From messaging to keeping up with your favorites to advertising, we can say social media is a world of its own.

According to the Digital 2022 April Global Statshot Report, there are 4.65 billion social media users on the planet. That amounts to 58.7% of the global population. While some have accounts on more than one social media platform, some stick to just one platform. This explains why the amount of users on a particular platform varies.

That said, here are the top 10 most popular social media platforms in the world with enough data to prove it.

10. Douyin

Douyin is the Chinese version of TikTok. Both apps have a similar user interface, however, their servers are based in the market where each app is available. Although they share the same logo, they have unidentical features. Douyin features services like an in-video search option which allows users to search for more videos from certain people by using their faces.

It also allows buying, hotel bookings, and geo-tagged reviews. Both apps have gained increasing popularity all over the world. Douyin has 613 million monthly active users.

9. Snapchat

The list of the “top 10 Most Popular Social Media Platforms in the World” would be incomplete without Snapchat. The platform is an American multimedia instant messaging app and service developed by Snap Inc., formerly called Snapchat Inc.

Snapchat has evolved over the years, from allowing pictures and messages to be accessible for only a short period of time to featuring users’ stories which typically last 24 hours. Now, ad-supported short-form contents are allowed on the application via its “Discover” feature.

Some users who don’t use Snapchat for messaging or status uploads simply use the app to take photos and save them to their phone galleries. This is because the app is best known for its virtual stickers and augmented reality features. It has been discovered that over 4 billion Snaps are sent each day. According to shopify.com, Snapchat has 617 million monthly active users.

8. Telegram

Telegram is an instant messaging platform that is cross-platform, cloud-based, and freemium. It allows users to make video calls, share files and enjoy many other interesting features.

One of its major features is the ability to create a Group/Channel that can allow for up to 2000 users/members. Unlike WhatsApp with a limit of 252 persons per group, Telegram allows more people and this makes it a top preference where group chats are concerned. It also allows for the sharing of large files up to 2GB, compared to other platforms.

In June 2022, Telegram surpassed its initial 700 million monthly active users, and the same month, it introduced Telegram Premium which provides an optional paid subscription with extra features.

Telegram is currently the most popular messaging application in Belarus, Moldova, Jordan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Russia, and Ukraine.

7. Messenger

Messenger is an instant messaging social media platform developed by Meta Platforms. It was originally developed as Facebook Chat in 2008. It was initially launched as the in-app messaging feature of Facebook until 2015 when the company launched a dedicated website interface and separated the messaging function from the main Facebook application.

The Messenger application allows you to send messages, exchange pictures, video, and audio files, and also react to other people’s messages.

Messenger has 1 billion monthly active users at the moment.

6. TikTok

TikTok is a short-form video hosting service owned by Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts short-form user videos with durations ranging from 15 seconds to 10 minutes. Many worldwide trends have been spurred by TikTok.

The social media platform, although it was launched in 2016, wasn’t so popular until October 2020 when it recorded over 2 billion mobile downloads worldwide. This rapid increase can be traced to the Covid-19 pandemic era in 2020 when people were forced to sit at home as a result of the lockdown. Old users started creating videos and starting trends that made others download the app and create an account just to partake of the goodness.

Morning Consult ranked TikTok as the 3rd fastest growing brand of 2020, after only Zoom and Peacock. With a monthly active user figure of 1.02 billion, TikTok has become the 6th platform on the list of Most Popular Social Media Platforms in the World.

5. WeChat

WeChat has been termed “the Chinese version of WhatsApp”. It was launched in 2011 as Weixin. It is a Chinese instant messaging, social media, and mobile payment app. As of 2018, it already had over 1 billion monthly active users.

The application has a wide range of functions including video conferencing, photo and video sharing, text messaging, hold-to-talk voice messaging, video games, and location sharing among others. It is regarded as the Chinese ‘App for Everything”.

The good thing about WeChat is that it is also available in English, although there are claims that setting up an account is not so easy. Currently, WeChat has 1.29 billion users.

4. Instagram

For a social media platform founded in 2010, Instagram is doing so well to have become the fourth most popular social media platform in the world. It is a photo and video sharing social networking service that allows users to upload photos and videos and spice them up with several effects.

Nowadays, the first place to check your favorite celebrity is on Instagram. The application allows users to browse other people’s content, view trending content, and even get updates. News media platforms now have Instagram accounts where they share visuals to further give details of events. Businesses/brands also use the service to advertise their products and relate with customers and other brands

Instagram also allows live streaming via its live video service. The social media platform has 2 billion monthly active users like WhatsApp and revenue of $24 billion.

3. WhatsApp

As of 2009 when it was launched, very few people would have thought that WhatsApp would make the list of the most popular social media platforms in the world.

WhatsApp is the most popular messaging application in the world right now, however, it wasn’t until 2015 that the feat was achieved. By February 2020, it already had more than 2 billion users worldwide.

WhatsApp launched a subsidiary App in 2018 to assist small business owners and customers- WhatsApp Business. WhatsApp Business is distinct from regular WhatsApp in so many ways. First, it allows for automated messaging. Next, it allows business owners to upload their products for people who have their contacts to see.

Unlike the regular WhatsApp status, these uploads do not go away after 24 hours. They are there until you remove them and they even have a spot for price tags. This way, they created an “online show glass” for small businesses.

WhatsApp is equally owned by Meta Platforms, Inc.

2. Youtube

Youtube is a platform for everyone! From online learning to vlogging and even news updates, its uses are seemingly inexhaustible. The platform is a video-sharing service that allows users to watch, like, share, comment, and even upload their own videos.

Youtube has become a platform where many users earn a living, via ownership of Youtube channels, uploading videos, and meeting certain criteria. It is the second largest search engine after Google. A study revealed that people upload more than 100 hours of video per minute to YouTube.

Youtube has 2.2 billion monthly active users and $28.8 billion in revenue.

1. Facebook

Facebook was launched in 2004 and to date, the platform remains a top social media site for both the young and old. In fact, if you’re looking for a platform that bridges the gap between the young and the old, Facebook is your answer. From the generation of Boomers to Gen Z, a considerable number of people use Facebook for various reasons.

The platform has a total of 2.9 billion monthly active users and total revenue of $85.96 billion. Facebook is the most popular social media platform in the world at the moment. It is owned by Meta Platforms, Inc, formerly known as Facebook. Inc.