Ever wondered what the world looks like when you realize that half the planet—over 4.95 billion people—are using social media, streaming services have finally dethroned traditional TV, and the average person spends over 7 hours a day glued to an internet-connected device?
Key Takeaways
- Globally, the average daily time spent on social media reached 2 hours and 31 minutes in 2023, marking a 1.3% increase from the previous year
- In the US, 83.5% of the population used social media in 2023, with Facebook holding a 68% penetration rate among adults
- Gen Z users aged 16-24 spent an average of 4 hours and 3 minutes daily on social media platforms in 2023
- Average US TV viewing time was 2 hours 46 minutes per day in 2023, down 4% from 2022
- Cable TV subscribers in the US dropped to 65.2 million households in 2023, a 7% decline YoY
- Live sports accounted for 52% of US TV viewing time in primetime 2023
- In 2023, Netflix streaming hours surpassed linear TV in US for first time at 52% share
- US streaming video usage averaged 24 hours 36 minutes per week per person in Q4 2023
- YouTube held 9.9% share of US TV viewing time in 2023, second to Netflix's 7.9%
- In 2023, 82% of US internet users accessed the internet daily, averaging 6 hours 40 minutes
- Mobile internet traffic accounted for 59% of global web traffic in 2023
- US adults spent 7 hours 12 minutes daily on internet-connected devices in 2023
- In 2023, US radio listening averaged 1 hour 28 minutes daily per person
- AM/FM radio reached 82% of US weekly listeners in 2023, totaling 242 million
- Newspaper print circulation in US fell to 20.9 million daily in 2023, down 6%
Social media use continues growing worldwide, with streaming now surpassing traditional television viewing.
Internet and Online Media Usage
1In 2023, 82% of US internet users accessed the internet daily, averaging 6 hours 40 minutes
Verified2Mobile internet traffic accounted for 59% of global web traffic in 2023
Verified3US adults spent 7 hours 12 minutes daily on internet-connected devices in 2023
Verified466% of world population was online in 2023, totaling 5.3 billion users
Directional5Fixed broadband subscriptions reached 1.4 billion globally in 2023
Single source65G connections hit 1.76 billion worldwide in 2023, 20% of mobile subs
Verified7Email usage averaged 145 emails sent/received per day per US office worker in 2023
Verified897% of US young adults aged 18-29 used the internet daily in 2023
Verified9Global IP traffic reached 3.3 zettabytes in 2023, up 20% YoY
Directional1048% of US adults got news online in 2023, surpassing TV at 31%
Single source11UK internet users averaged 6 hours 37 minutes daily online in 2023
Verified1291% of US adults used the internet in 2023, with 85% via smartphone
Verified13Podcasts downloads totaled 4.52 billion in US 2023, up 12.5%
Verified14Global e-commerce sales hit $5.8 trillion in 2023, 22% of retail
Directional1575% of US video game players used mobile internet for gaming in 2023
Single source16Average website load time tolerance was 2 seconds in 2023, affecting 40% bounce rate
Verified1753% of web traffic was from bots in 2023
Verified18US online news consumption averaged 1 hour 28 minutes daily in 2023
Verified19Global cloud storage usage reached 6.1 zettabytes in 2023
Directional2062% of internet users employed ad blockers in 2023
Single source21Video content drove 82% of internet traffic in 2023
Verified2240% of US adults used voice assistants daily for internet searches in 2023
Verified23Global internet penetration in rural areas was 40% in 2023
Verified24US online learning hours surged 30% to 2.5 billion in 2023 post-pandemic
Directional2588% of consumers researched products online before purchase in 2023
Single source26Global cyber attacks on internet users rose 15% to 2,200 daily in 2023
Verified27Social video platforms accounted for 17% of all internet hours in US 2023
VerifiedInternet and Online Media Usage Interpretation
We are now a planet of perpetually logged-in beings, scrolling our way through life for an average of nearly seven daily hours, where a staggering 5.3 billion of us—two-thirds of humanity—are so digitally entwined that over half of all web traffic is actually robotic impostors, while our collective impatience demands websites load faster than we can decide to leave them, all to watch videos that constitute the vast majority of the internet's 3.3 zettabyte traffic, shop in a $5.8 trillion online marketplace, and consume news primarily through screens, even as we desperately try to block the ads that fund it all and fend off a rising tide of cyber attacks, creating a reality where the boundary between online and "life" has not just blurred but effectively dissolved.
Social Media Usage
1Globally, the average daily time spent on social media reached 2 hours and 31 minutes in 2023, marking a 1.3% increase from the previous year
Verified2In the US, 83.5% of the population used social media in 2023, with Facebook holding a 68% penetration rate among adults
Verified3Gen Z users aged 16-24 spent an average of 4 hours and 3 minutes daily on social media platforms in 2023
Verified4TikTok saw 1.7 billion monthly active users worldwide as of Q4 2023, with 58% of users aged 18-34
Directional5Instagram's advertising reach grew to 1.4 billion users in 2023, with 60% of users discovering products via the platform
Single source6YouTube had 2.5 billion monthly active users in 2023, with users watching over 1 billion hours of content daily
Verified7In 2023, 49.8% of the world's population used social media, totaling 4.95 billion users
Verified8Snapchat reached 414 million daily active users in Q3 2023, primarily among 13-34 year olds at 75% share
Verified9LinkedIn had 1 billion members in 2023, with 67% of users outside the US, focusing on professional networking
Directional10Pinterest users numbered 498 million monthly actives in 2023, with 70% female demographic pinning ideas daily
Single source11WhatsApp had 2 billion monthly users in 2023, handling 100 billion messages daily across 180 countries
Verified12Twitter (X) saw 556 million monthly users in 2023, with 53% accessing via mobile for real-time news
Verified13Facebook users spent an average of 30.9 minutes daily in Q4 2023, down 5% YoY
Verified14In India, social media users reached 462.3 million in 2023, with 50.7% penetration rate
Directional1571% of US teens aged 13-17 used YouTube daily in 2023, averaging 77 minutes per day
Single source16Globally, 62.6% of social media users accessed platforms via mobile in 2023
Verified17Reddit grew to 430 million monthly active users in 2023, with 52% under 30 years old
Verified18WeChat had 1.3 billion monthly active users in China 2023, integrating messaging and payments
Verified1958% of global social media ad spend was on mobile in 2023, totaling $153 billion
Directional20TikTok video views exceeded 1 trillion per month in 2023 among US users alone
Single source2145% of Instagram users shopped via the app in 2023, driving $50 billion in sales
Verified22Facebook Groups had 1.8 billion monthly active users in 2023, fostering communities
Verified23Snapchat Stories reached 300 million daily viewers in 2023
Verified24LinkedIn posts generated 2x more engagement during work hours in 2023
Directional2576% of Pinterest users report positive ROI from ads in 2023
Single source26WhatsApp video calls averaged 1 billion minutes daily in 2023
Verified27Twitter Spaces hosted 100 million daily listening minutes in 2023 peak
Verified2882% of US adults used YouTube in 2023, with 54% daily usage
Verified29Global social media users projected to hit 5.85 billion by 2027, up 16.8% from 2023
Directional30In 2023, 95.5 million US Facebook users were aged 18-29, representing 70% penetration
Single sourceSocial Media Usage Interpretation
We’ve so thoroughly outsourced our community, shopping, news, and self-expression to these glowing rectangles that the global average of two and a half hours a day feels less like a pastime and more like a compulsory second shift.
Streaming Media Usage
1In 2023, Netflix streaming hours surpassed linear TV in US for first time at 52% share
Verified2US streaming video usage averaged 24 hours 36 minutes per week per person in Q4 2023
Verified3YouTube held 9.9% share of US TV viewing time in 2023, second to Netflix's 7.9%
Verified4Disney+ had 150 million global subscribers in 2023, with 40% ad-supported tier growth
Directional5Amazon Prime Video reached 200 million subscribers worldwide in 2023
Single source6Hulu's ad-supported viewing hours tripled to 1.1 billion in 2023
Verified7Globally, SVOD subscribers hit 1.3 billion in 2023, up 11.7% YoY
Verified8TikTok streaming captured 1.7% of US TV time in 2023 among 18-34 demo
Verified9Peacock grew to 28 million paid subscribers in Q4 2023, boosted by NFL games
Directional10Max (HBO Max) had 97.6 million global subs in 2023, with 20% ad-tier
Single source11Paramount+ reached 60 million subs in 2023, with 2 million monthly adds
Verified12Apple TV+ viewing hours increased 25% YoY to 1.5 billion in 2023
Verified13US FAST (free ad-supported streaming) services reached 41% household penetration in 2023
Verified14Netflix ad-tier subs grew to 15 million globally in first 6 months of 2023 launch
Directional15YouTube Premium had 100 million subs in 2023, driving 10% of watch time
Single source1689% of US streaming viewers used multiple services in 2023, averaging 5 subs per household
Verified17Global video streaming market revenue hit $130 billion in 2023, up 12%
Verified18Twitch averaged 2.3 million concurrent viewers daily in 2023 for gaming streams
Verified19Roku channels streamed 28.4 billion hours in 2023, up 23% YoY
Directional2068% of Gen Z preferred streaming over linear TV in 2023 surveys
Single source21US streaming ad spend reached $18 billion in 2023, 20% of total TV ads
Verified22Discovery+ merged into Max, retaining 50 million subs in 2023 transition
Verified23Pluto TV had 80 million monthly active users in 2023, with 500+ channels
Verified2447% of US broadband homes used streaming sticks/devices exclusively in 2023
Directional25Global OTT revenue projected $200 billion by 2027 from $129 billion in 2023
Single sourceStreaming Media Usage Interpretation
The screen has officially usurped the throne, but its kingdom is now a hopelessly crowded, ad-infested, and subscription-fatigued democracy where we all rule as content-drunk monarchs of our own pixelated domains.
Television Usage
1Average US TV viewing time was 2 hours 46 minutes per day in 2023, down 4% from 2022
Verified2Cable TV subscribers in the US dropped to 65.2 million households in 2023, a 7% decline YoY
Verified3Live sports accounted for 52% of US TV viewing time in primetime 2023
Verified4US adults over 65 watched an average of 4 hours 28 minutes of TV daily in 2023
Directional5Broadcast TV reached 90% of US households in 2023, but viewing share fell to 20%
Single source6UK linear TV viewing averaged 2 hours 51 minutes per day in 2023, down 9% YoY
Verified7In 2023, 44% of US TV time was on smart TVs, up from 39% in 2022
Verified8News programs captured 15% of US TV viewing share in 2023, led by ABC and NBC
Verified9Hispanic viewers in US watched 10% more TV than average in 2023 at 3 hours daily
Directional10Primetime TV viewing in US fell to 4.9% rating in 2023, lowest on record
Single source1168% of US TV households had DVRs in 2023, time-shifting 25% of viewing
Verified12Children aged 2-11 watched 1 hour 12 minutes of TV daily in US 2023
Verified13Local news viewing on TV reached 32 million US viewers daily in 2023
Verified14US TV ad spend totaled $61 billion in 2023, with 40% on national broadcast
Directional15Women aged 18-49 watched 2 hours 52 minutes of TV daily in US 2023
Single source16Over-the-air antenna households grew 5% to 19 million in US 2023
Verified17Evening news programs averaged 5.8 million viewers per night in US 2023
Verified1855% of US TV viewing occurred on weekends in 2023
Verified19Traditional TV penetration in Europe averaged 85% in 2023, but usage down 10%
Directional20US men aged 18-34 watched 2 hours 10 minutes TV daily in 2023
Single source21Scripted series accounted for 28% of US TV viewing time in 2023
Verified2272% of US seniors over 75 watched TV daily for companionship in 2023
Verified23Late-night talk shows averaged 2.1 million viewers in US 2023, down 15%
Verified24US TV households totaled 122.4 million in 2023, with 81% subscribing to video services
Directional25Reality TV genre grew 3% in viewing share to 18% in US 2023
Single sourceTelevision Usage Interpretation
Americans are collectively clinging to the couch for their live sports and news, even as they steadily cut the cable cord and let their DVRs do the heavy lifting, proving that television is not dying but rather evolving into a strange, antenna-topped weekend companion for our nation's seniors.
Traditional Media Usage
1In 2023, US radio listening averaged 1 hour 28 minutes daily per person
Verified2AM/FM radio reached 82% of US weekly listeners in 2023, totaling 242 million
Verified3Newspaper print circulation in US fell to 20.9 million daily in 2023, down 6%
Verified4Podcasts overtook radio in ad revenue at $2 billion vs $1.8 billion in US 2023
Directional5UK radio listening was 4 hours 13 minutes daily average in 2023
Single source6US print magazine readership declined to 194 million adults in 2023, 61% penetration
Verified7Radio news reached 50% of US adults weekly in 2023
Verified8Global newspaper ad revenue dropped to $80 billion in 2023, 50% from digital shift
Verified9HD Radio listeners grew 10% to 35 million in US 2023
Directional1044% of US adults read print newspapers weekly in 2023, down from 50% in 2019
Single source11SiriusXM had 34.3 million subscribers in US 2023, focusing on satellite radio
Verified12Comic book sales totaled 45 million units in US 2023, up 7% post-pandemic
Verified13Public radio listeners in US averaged 11 hours weekly in 2023
Verified14Print book sales in US reached 767 million units in 2023, up 1.5%
Directional15Radio commuting listenership fell 20% since 2019 to 55% in US 2023
Single source1628% of US adults subscribed to print magazines in 2023
Verified17Christian radio stations reached 1,800 in US 2023, with 15 million weekly listeners
Verified18Daily newspaper employment in US was 31,100 in 2023, down 50% since 2008
Verified19Audiobook revenue hit $1.8 billion in US 2023, up 20%
DirectionalTraditional Media Usage Interpretation
Despite podcasts edging out radio in ad revenue and print media continuing its graceful decline into nostalgia, the stubborn persistence of radio's reach and the surprising resilience of print books prove that old media are like stubborn houseguests who refuse to leave just because you bought a new, flashier sofa.
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