Stacy Jo Dixon
Research expert covering social media usage worldwide
Facebook - statistics & facts
Facebook takes center stage. As the social network turns 21, it continues to dominate the social media landscape. Despite new platforms regularly emerging, Facebook still comes out on top in terms of user numbers.
Despite being a readily available source of news and current affairs, the platform is challenged with various misleading and harmful content. In the fourth quarter of 2023, 1.1 billion fake Facebook accounts were removed from the platform. Additionally, for the same period, 7.6 million pieces of content were actioned for containing bullying and harassment content.
The world's most used social network is battling a somewhat negative perception and fresh competition from the likes of social video app TikTok. The rise of Generation Z in the consumer ranks will require Facebook to adapt, as younger generations expect constant and personalized entertainment from their social platforms.
Where does Facebook find its largest following?
Facebook championed over three billion monthly active users (MAU) as of April 2024. India is home to the world’s largest Facebook audience, with 378 million users as of early 2024. Additionally, the United States, Indonesia, and Brazil each had well over 100 million Facebook users. Furthermore, almost one fifth of global Facebook users were men aged between 25 and 34 years, and around 13 percent of users were women belonging to this age group.What do people see on their Facebook news feed?
In the first quarter of 2024, 18.7 percent of U.S. users’ news feed content on Facebook contained posts from friends, whilst over 31 percent of posts were completely unconnected to the user, meaning that this content was not related to their Facebook friends, people, pages, or groups that they followed. Moreover, the majority of newsfeed content did not have links attached.Despite being a readily available source of news and current affairs, the platform is challenged with various misleading and harmful content. In the fourth quarter of 2023, 1.1 billion fake Facebook accounts were removed from the platform. Additionally, for the same period, 7.6 million pieces of content were actioned for containing bullying and harassment content.
Facebook as a marketing tool
During a 2024 survey among marketers worldwide, approximately 44 percent said Facebook was the most important social media platform. Overall, 83 percent of marketers reported that increased exposure was a benefit of social media marketing. Traffic and new customers were also important benefits. Additionally, 38 percent of marketers said they would be increasing their use of Facebook for marketing purposes.The future of Facebook
Social media companies have been trying to find other ways outside of advertising to generate income, and Facebook fans can now pay for ad-free versions of Meta’s services. Younger users were more likely than older users to be willing to pay a subscription fee, with 40 percent of social media users in the United States aged 18 to 24 years saying they would become a subscriber, compared to just five percent of users aged 55 to 64 years.The world's most used social network is battling a somewhat negative perception and fresh competition from the likes of social video app TikTok. The rise of Generation Z in the consumer ranks will require Facebook to adapt, as younger generations expect constant and personalized entertainment from their social platforms.
