Why Do People Use Social Media

Why do people use social media? Social media is undisputedly the most ground-breaking and powerful form media has ever taken. The world has never been closer before social media. And nothing before it has come close to what it has done for us as a species.

Traditional media in TV, radio, and print have brought us closer together, but not like how social media has. Social media, since its inception, has revolutionized how we communicate. What started as a way to connect with your friends and family has now evolved to be our main way of procuring information and communicating.

In this age, social media is no longer an option but an essential part of how we function as a society. We communicate through social media on various platforms like Messenger and other social media apps with direct messaging.

We obtain information and entertainment through apps like YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram. Furthermore, we also do business through these social media platforms.

We cannot overstate how much social media is now incorporated into every aspect of our lives. If anything involves the sharing and receiving of information, you can be sure that social media is at the forefront of this exchange.

How Many People Use Social Media?

A recent advertising study by Kepios Analysis on the global overview of social media use states that 4.76 billion people from all around the world actively use social media. That means that there are now more people on social media than people who don’t use social media! That is 59.5% of the world’s total population. That’s how many people use social media!

Other astonishing statistics obtained by the study also revealed that 4.76 billion users make up over 92% of all internet users.

How Much Time Do People Use Social Media Every Day on Average?

The same survey study done by Kepios Analysis says that, on average, everybody spends around 2 hours and 31 minutes on their social media platforms every day. Out of 24 hours in a day, we dedicate 10.42% of that time tapping away at our phones and gadgets!

Two and a half hours of our limited 24 hours is a big chunk of our precious time every day. This is more time we dedicate to eating or traveling. If we spend 8 hours to sleep and another 8 for work or school, then social media ranks third in activities we dedicate the most time to every day.

For better or worse, social media has carved its way into the most prioritized activities of our everyday lives.

5 Main Reasons for Using Social Media

If we are always on our phones using social media, why do we do it? Here are the five main reasons why people use social media:

1.  To Keep in Touch With Friends and Family

Like how Facebook intended, social media was made to be in touch with the people we care about. Using social media is important because it enables you to have family and friends with you anywhere you go.

2.  To Keep Up-to-Date With the Times

We used to turn on the television, read the paper, or listen to the radio to get our fill of the latest news in current events. These days, we can do all that and more with just a quick tap on our phone screens. 

What the TV, radio, and newspaper offer is now all rolled into the convenience of our phones. Social media platforms like Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook give you the latest about anything you deem important. 

You have the latest information in the news, sports, music, entertainment, and anything under the sun at your disposal with the power of social media.

3.  To Fill Up Spare Time

We may not realize it, but idly whipping out our phones has been everybody’s meditative process to fill up our spare time. We do this every time we are waiting for something, when on our commute to and from work, or just about any time we don’t have anything better to do.

4.  For Entertainment

Social media is very entertaining, and we all know it. We can lose ourselves tapping and staring at our screens for hours on end if we don’t have anything better to do.

Apps like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and others lead content provision for our entertainment.

5.  To Maintain a General Network With People and the World Around

The world is at our fingertips with social media. Our awareness of the world now heavily relies on what we see in our feeds.

Keep the “Social” in Social Media

Social media may have the word “social” in it, but it barely lives up to it. We must remember to maintain social interaction beyond social media and interact with people we care for in real life.

We cannot forget to meet face to face as there is no real replacement for connecting with friends and family in the flesh.