With over five billion people scrolling through social media daily and internet video consuming over 80% of global traffic, the sheer scale of our digital engagement is not just impressive—it's reshaping everything from how we connect and shop to how we spend our very time.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, global social media users reached 5.16 billion, representing 63.9% of the world's population aged 13+
- US adults spent an average of 2 hours 8 minutes daily on social media in 2023, up 1.5% from 2022
- TikTok had 1.59 billion monthly active users worldwide as of Q4 2023, with 49.7% female users
- Global internet users reached 5.44 billion in early 2024, or 67.5% of world population
- Average daily internet usage worldwide was 6 hours 40 minutes in 2023
- Mobile internet traffic accounted for 59% of global web traffic in 2023
- Daily active mobile app users averaged 3.8 apps per smartphone globally in 2023
- Global mobile app downloads reached 257 billion in 2023, up 11% YoY
- US consumers spent 4 hours 39 minutes daily in mobile apps in 2023
- Global Netflix hours viewed: 93 billion in Q4 2023 alone
- YouTube daily watch time exceeded 1 billion hours in 2023
- Disney+ reached 150 million subscribers globally by end 2023
- Global e-commerce sales reached $6.3 trillion in 2023, 22% of total retail
- Amazon global net sales: $575 billion in 2023
- US e-commerce penetration: 15.3% of total retail sales in 2023
Social media usage dominates daily life for billions of people worldwide.
E-commerce Usage
- Global e-commerce sales reached $6.3 trillion in 2023, 22% of total retail
- Amazon global net sales: $575 billion in 2023
- US e-commerce penetration: 15.3% of total retail sales in 2023
- Mobile commerce sales: $2.2 trillion globally in 2023, 60% of e-commerce
- Alibaba gross merchandise volume: $1.2 trillion in fiscal 2023
- Shopify merchant sales: $235.9 billion GMV in 2023
- Global online shoppers: 2.71 billion in 2023
- China e-commerce market: $2.1 trillion in 2023, 52% of total retail
- Average online order value US: $109 in 2023
- E-commerce returns rate: 24.4% globally in 2023
- Walmart US e-commerce sales: $100 billion in fiscal 2024 (ending Jan 2024)
- Social commerce GMV: $656 billion globally in 2023
- 57% of US consumers bought online due to social media influence in 2023
- Cross-border e-commerce: $785 billion in 2023, 25% growth
- Subscription e-commerce revenue: $120 billion US in 2023
- Marketplace platforms share: 66% of US e-commerce in 2023
- Voice commerce sales projected $40 billion US in 2023
- BNPL transactions: $24 billion US in 2023 e-commerce
- Grocery e-commerce US: 11.2% penetration in 2023
- Fashion e-commerce global: $778 billion in 2023
- Electronics e-commerce: $500 billion global in 2023
E-commerce Usage Interpretation
While the globe's digital shopping cart swelled to a staggering $6.3 trillion, the sobering 24.4% return rate suggests we're still buying a lot of stuff we don't actually want.
Internet Usage
- Global internet users reached 5.44 billion in early 2024, or 67.5% of world population
- Average daily internet usage worldwide was 6 hours 40 minutes in 2023
- Mobile internet traffic accounted for 59% of global web traffic in 2023
- US internet penetration rate hit 93% of population in 2023
- Fixed broadband subscriptions reached 1.43 billion globally in 2023
- Global IP traffic projected to reach 4.8 zettabytes annually by end of 2023
- 66% of world population used internet in 2023, up from 53% in 2018
- Asia hosted 2.8 billion internet users in 2023, 53% of global total
- Average internet speed globally was 63.4 Mbps download in Q4 2023
- 92% of US adults used internet in 2023, with 85% smartphone access
- Global mobile connections reached 8.6 billion in 2023, exceeding population
- Internet users in Africa grew to 570 million in 2023, 43% penetration
- Fixed wireless access connections hit 118 million globally in 2023
- 5G connections reached 1.76 billion worldwide by end 2023
- US households with broadband: 89% in 2023
- Global internet video traffic was 82% of all internet traffic in 2023
- Median global mobile internet speed: 50.3 Mbps in Q4 2023
- Europe had 727 million internet users in 2023, 87% penetration
- IoT connections globally: 16.6 billion active devices in 2023
- US rural internet access: 83% in 2023, up from 75% in 2019
- Global DNS queries per day exceeded 300 billion in 2023
- Smartphone internet users: 4.88 billion in 2023
- India internet users: 881.3 million in 2023, 62.5% penetration
- China internet users: 1.07 billion in 2023, 75.6% penetration
- Brazil internet penetration: 81.9% or 174 million users in 2023
Internet Usage Interpretation
Nearly two-thirds of humanity is now plugged into a digital hive mind, collectively binge-watching, scrolling, and connecting for over six hours a day, proving that the global village isn't just built with bricks and roads but with bandwidth and memes.
Mobile App Usage
- Daily active mobile app users averaged 3.8 apps per smartphone globally in 2023
- Global mobile app downloads reached 257 billion in 2023, up 11% YoY
- US consumers spent 4 hours 39 minutes daily in mobile apps in 2023
- Gaming apps generated $120 billion in consumer spend globally in 2023
- TikTok app had 672 million monthly active users in US in 2023
- Average apps installed per smartphone: 80 globally in 2023
- Social networking apps used 2 hours 24 minutes daily average in 2023 US
- Photo/video apps session length averaged 8.8 minutes globally in 2023
- Finance apps downloads grew 25% to 2.3 billion globally in 2023
- US mobile shopping app usage: 55% of smartphone users weekly in 2023
- Global in-app purchase revenue: $167 billion in 2023
- Music streaming apps like Spotify had 602 million MAU in 2023
- Dating apps Tinder had 75 million MAU globally in 2023
- Utility apps opened 21 times daily per user average in 2023
- Health/fitness apps installs up 30% post-pandemic to 1.2 billion in 2023
- Average app session: 4 minutes 12 seconds globally in 2023
- Food delivery apps revenue: $320 billion globally in 2023
- Navigation apps like Google Maps used by 67% of smartphone owners daily 2023
- Education apps downloads: 4.5 billion in 2023, up 15%
- Travel apps bookings via mobile: 60% of total in 2023
- Messaging apps sessions: 58% of total app time in 2023 US
- Netflix mobile app users: 80 million daily actives in 2023
Mobile App Usage Interpretation
While humanity's collective screen time, a digital Everest of 257 billion downloads and $167 billion in IAPs, suggests we've built a dazzling new world in our palms, the fact that we actively inhabit only 3.8 apps a day reveals we're mostly just living in a very expensive, very distracting three-and-a-half room apartment.
Social Media Usage
- In 2023, global social media users reached 5.16 billion, representing 63.9% of the world's population aged 13+
- US adults spent an average of 2 hours 8 minutes daily on social media in 2023, up 1.5% from 2022
- TikTok had 1.59 billion monthly active users worldwide as of Q4 2023, with 49.7% female users
- Facebook's daily active users hit 3.065 billion in Q4 2023, a 6% year-over-year increase
- Instagram users numbered 2 billion monthly actives in 2023, with 61% under age 35
- YouTube had 2.5 billion monthly logged-in users in 2023, watching over 1 billion hours daily
- WhatsApp reached 2 billion monthly active users in 2023, handling 100 billion messages daily
- Snapchat's daily active users grew to 414 million in Q4 2023, with 80% under 34 years old
- LinkedIn had 1 billion members in 2023, with 310 million monthly active users
- Pinterest monthly active users stood at 498 million in Q4 2023, up 11% YoY
- Twitter (X) daily active users monetizable reached 121.4 million in Q3 2023 post-rebrand
- Reddit monthly active users hit 73.1 million daily actives in Q3 2023, up 34% YoY
- Global social media ad spend reached $207 billion in 2023, projected to grow 10.6% in 2024
- 82.4% of internet users worldwide used social media in early 2023
- Gen Z spends 4.5 hours daily on social media on average in 2023
- 56% of social media users in the US are female as of 2023
- Social media penetration in India reached 67.8% of population in 2023
- Average social media posts per day globally exceed 500 million on Facebook alone in 2023
- 70% of teens report using YouTube daily in 2023 US survey
- Social commerce sales hit $492 billion globally in 2023
- 45% of global social media users access via mobile-only in 2023
- Time spent on TikTok averaged 52 minutes daily per user in 2023
- Facebook groups numbered over 1.8 billion monthly active users in 2023
- Instagram Reels views surpassed 200 billion in a single week in 2023 peak
- 3.8 billion people used social media via mobile internet in 2023
- Snapchat Stories viewed 4.6 billion times daily in 2023
- LinkedIn video views grew 45% YoY to billions monthly in 2023
Social Media Usage Interpretation
The staggering reality of modern social existence is that we've built a planet where nearly two-thirds of humanity now maintains a public digital profile, collectively investing over two hours of every day in scrolling feeds, a pursuit so massive it has turned platforms into multi-billion member nations where the primary exports are attention, messages, and advertisements.
Video Streaming Usage
- Global Netflix hours viewed: 93 billion in Q4 2023 alone
- YouTube daily watch time exceeded 1 billion hours in 2023
- Disney+ reached 150 million subscribers globally by end 2023
- Amazon Prime Video had 200 million subscribers in 2023
- Global SVOD revenue hit $50 billion in 2023, up 9.7% YoY
- US adults average 2.5 hours daily streaming video in 2023
- TikTok video views: 1 billion per day from ads alone in 2023
- Hulu subscribers: 48.4 million in Q4 2023
- Paramount+ grew to 60 million subscribers in 2023
- HBO Max (Max) had 97.6 million global subs in Q3 2023
- 85% of US households subscribed to at least one streaming service in 2023
- Global OTT video market size: $129 billion in 2023
- YouTube Premium/Premium Lite: 100 million paid subs in 2023
- Peacock reached 28 million paid subs by end 2023
- Apple TV+ had 25 million subs in 2023 estimates
- Live sports streaming hours up 70% YoY to billions in 2023 US
- 4K streaming adoption: 40% of US households in 2023
- Ad-supported streaming tiers used by 50% of US subs in 2023
- Global video streaming users: 1.8 billion in 2023
- Twitch average concurrent viewers: 2.4 million daily in 2023
- Binge-watching sessions: 82% of US streamers did weekly in 2023
Video Streaming Usage Interpretation
It seems humanity has collectively decided that the best use of our 1.8 billion brains and rapidly dwindling free time is to mainline an unfathomable river of streaming content, proving that while our attention spans may be fractured, our commitment to subscription fees is impressively monolithic.
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