Sidney Wu

It’s difficult to comprehend a life before social media, when it seems like every aspect of our lives now revolves around it. Research shows that 4.8 billion people use social media. This number equates to 59% of global population and 92.7% of all internet users. While the introduction of social media into society has been quite recent, the amount of social platforms that have been created since the first social media is astonishing.

As trends come and go, so do the use of specific social media platforms. Trailblazers in the social media industry like, MySpace and Tumbler, paved the way for recent platforms like, TikTok, Instagram and Twitter (a.k.a ‘X’). Short form media trains people to have a short attention span especially when it comes to relevance of a social platform or the content that is being produced on that platform. And only a few platforms stand the test of time. Image 1 shows the social media that are breaking the charts today.

The number one reason PR specialist use social media to promote their clients is because its the fastest and easiest way to connect to the masses. Since 59% of the population is online, it makes sense to market to an online audience. Therefore it’s important to understand the audience that your client is advertising to. A HootSuite study showed the highest amount of social media use was by females from the ages for 16-24. Other data from image 2 offers more information about audience demographics.

Social media is also a great place to advertise because many of the platforms offer audience and post analytics. This gives clients great insight on what content is performing well and if target audiences are being hit.

These statistics are important because they don’t lie. Social media is ever-changing, but it’s important in the PR industry to keep up with the trends to be the most successful for your client.