Australians spend 100 minutes per day on social media

A new report reveals that 80% of the world’s internet users are now active on social media, with two-thirds of Australians spending almost 100 minutes on social media platforms every day.

Hootsuite’s Digital in 2018 report also shows that the number of internet users in the world has now surpassed the four billion mark, putting more than half the global population online.

Of that number, social media brings nearly 3.2 billion active users online to connect with each other, consume media, interact with brands and more.

“The Digital in 2018 report highlights the continuing growth of the internet and social media to individuals and businesses around the world,” said Penny Wilson, CMO, Hootsuite.

“This dynamic has forever altered the customer journey as consumers and B2B professionals increasingly conduct research, make buying decisions, seek support and recommend brands online. To achieve competitive advantage, all executives must dive deep into digital now, meeting their customers where they are to best market, sell and serve them.”

Key findings from the 2018 report include:

• Internet user numbers increased 7% in the last 12 months to hit 4.021 billion, or 53% of the world’s population
• Global social media usage has increased by 13% in the last 12 months, reaching 3.196 billion users
• Mobile social media usage has increased by 14% year-over-year to 2.958 billion users, with 93% of social media users accessing social from mobile
• Internet users are projected to spend a combined total of 1 billion years online in 2018, of which 325 million years will be spent on social media.

The report also found that global growth of the internet is propelling e-commerce forward, with 1.77 billion internet users purchasing consumer goods online in 2017 — an increase of 8% compared to a year ago. Collectively, consumers spent a total of US$1.474 trillion on e-commerce platforms in the past 12 months — 16% more than in 2016.

More than half a million Australians started using the internet last year, bringing nearly 90% of the population online. Australians are spending 80% more time on the internet than watching television. Two-thirds of Australians are using social media each month, spending almost 100 minutes on social platforms each day.

“With four billion people now online, connectivity is already a way of life for most of us. However, as internet companies strive to serve the next billion users, we’ll see important changes in digital over the coming months,” said Simon Kemp, global consultant, We Are Social.

“Audio-visual content will take priority over text — especially in social media and messaging apps — while voice commands and cameras will replace keyboards as our primary means of input. Social relationships and online communities will evolve to accommodate these new ways for people to interact with each other. This will result in rich new experiences for all of us, but businesses need to start preparing for these changes today.”

Image credit: ©iStockphoto.com/au/mattjeacock

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