When social media first began, approximately only 5 percent of Americans used it for personal and business use.

"Today, 72 percent of Americans are on social media. In the world, almost half of the 7.7 people on the planet are on social media. With a number that high, it is fair to say that most adults are on social media.", says Jay Bats, co-founder of ContentBASE.

He adds, " Every number symbolizes a person with a life, a livelihood, a story. That is why social media statistics are vital to you, as well as your business. Here are five more social media statistics that may surprise you and help you to tell your readers your own story."

1. Who is Using What Social Media Site?

With over half the adults on social media, each social media platform today has its advantages. But, for many, it comes down to personal preference.

Some adults will be active and engaging across all platforms. Others will like their personal favorite and stay there for their readers and followers.

Today, over 3.6 billion people use social media applications, which fits across most age demographics. Furthermore, the number is projected to reach 4.1 billion by 2025. The most popular social media networks are Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger.

2. Facebook Matters

As one of the first social media platforms, today's social media users still like Facebook as their number one go-to. Before that, it was MySpace, but Facebook is the oldest, as it has stood the test of time. There are approximately 2.8 billion people that use Facebook monthly.

This is important to both business and personal readers of yours. For business, each of these is a potential customer. However, for personal use, today, people like to socialize online more than they ever have.

There are approximately 9 million Facebook advertisers. That's because this method of advertising works. Links and videos are the most successful form of advertising on Facebook.

3. Insta This

There are over 1 billion people on Instagram today. Approximately 500 million are using Instagram stories. Instagram is another social media app that is used for both business and pleasure.

As businesses began to boom on Instagram, Instagram added Instagram Shops to help their users live their best lives. The largest purchasing demographic on Instagram is women in the 18 to 24 years old category. Instagram engagement rate is approximately 1.22 percent per post. For every 100 people you advertise to, at least one person will see your ad.

4. Tweet Tweet

Twitter is another of the oldest social media platforms that the world has access to. While it is not as popular today as Facebook is, it still boasts an average daily user count of over 187 million people.

Those millions can be consumers for business or new friends for pleasure. Unfortunately, Twitter is not as engaging as Instagram. The average Twitter engagement rate is approximately 0.045 percent. This could mean that Instagram is a better place to put your advertising dollars.

For personal purposes, DMs on Twitter are still a popular place to make friends and influence people.

5. LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a networking site for professionals looking for work and applying for a position. Today, LinkedIn has over 722 users that visit it monthly in over 200 countries. It is a destination site for marketers, with over 96 percent of business marketers using LinkedIn. That is because LinkedIn advertising works. Posts that are long-form in nature, from 900 to 2,000 words, are the most popular and successful.

Engage Today

When you are using social media for business or personal use, the numbers matter; these numbers will help you learn where you should post and what you should post. It also tells you where your new friends and customers are. The best time to start engaging with them is today!