Global Social media penetration; Africa Standpoint
According to Dodge Martin & Rob Kitchin, Mapping Cyberspace (Routledge, 2003), an exponential increase in the number of internet users, widespread adoption of mobile technologies and a growing entrepreneurial spirit has led to the global digital landscape experiencing an unprecedented growth over recent years, the implication is that information dissemination is easily available to every citizen who can afford a mobile phone with some stipends for mobile data. From the comfort of one’s apartment, a person can send information on the internet which is almost immediately accessed by thousands of internet users.
This unprecedented growth has led to a new marketing strategy known as “Influencer Marketing” which according to hinfluencermarketinghub.com is a hybrid of old and new marketing tools. It takes the idea of celebrity endorsement and places it into a modern-day content-driven marketing campaign. The main differentiator in the case of influencer marketing is that the results of the campaign are collaborations between brands and influencers. This brand of marketing strategy is based largely on the growing social media usage globally.
Therefore, according an article publish on dataromas.org (social-media-in-the-21st-century-impact-challenges-and-future-trends) social media has become an integral aspect of our daily lives, transforming the way we communicate, share information, and connect with the world. According to the article, in the fast-paced landscape of the 21st century, platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok have become household names, influencing not just individual interactions but also shaping societal trends, business strategies, and political discourse.
Global internet Penetration
As further demonstrated by prioridata.com (/data/social-media-usage), as of 2024, there are approximately 5.16 billion active social media users worldwide, which is around 59.3% of the global population and this accounts for the growing number of global influencers. Facebook remains the largest social media platform, with over 3.15 billion monthly active users. YouTube is the second-largest social media platform, with over 2.5 billion active users. Instagram has over 2 billion active users, making it the fourth largest social media platform. TikTok has surpassed 1 billion active users, becoming one of the fastest-growing social media platforms.
Similarly, further statistics by prioridata shows that globally, people spend an average of 2 hours and 23 minutes per day on social media platforms. Mobile devices account for 98% of social media usage time, with desktop usage accounting for only 2%.
The most popular social media activities include watching videos (82%), reading news (76%), and interacting with friends and family (72%). The gender split for social media users is relatively even, with 48.4% male and 51.6% female users globally. While the majority of social media users (59%) are between the ages of 18 and 34. In the United States, 72% of adults use at least one social media platform.
Social Media/ Internet connectivity in Africa
Again, a survey published by statista.com suggest that in Africa, the number of African social media users has risen continuously, amounting to over 384 million as of 2022. Social media penetration is considerably higher in Northern and Southern Africa than in other regions. As of February 2022, some 56 percent of the population in Northern Africa used social media, while the share was 45 percent in Southern Africa. Central Africa was significantly behind, with a share of only 8 percent. In Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa, social media users favored WhatsApp. On the other hand, Egyptian and Moroccan users preferred Facebook.
Facebook is the leading social media platform in Africa in terms of market share. Since January 2021, Facebook has maintained traffic generation capabilities of over 50 percent. YouTube and Twitter followed with a share of around 9.4 percent and 3.8 percent, respectively, as of May 2022. In absolute terms, there were 271 million Facebook users in Africa in 2022, a number forecast to reach over 377 million by 2025. Furthermore, YouTube had around 180 million African users, while Twitter’s user base stood at about 24 million as of the same year.
Again, research conducted by Doris Dokua Sasu a research Expert working with Statista reveals that in Nigeria, Men and the youths are in the lead in social media usage in Nigeria. In 2023, more than 58 percent of the users were men. According to her, this was reflected across platforms. For instance, around 58 percent of Nigerians on Facebook were men. Moreover, the overall Facebook usage was concentrated among individuals aged 18-34 years. The youth and male prevalence remained similar on other social network platforms such as LinkedIn and Instagram. Consequently, young people in Nigeria were the most reached by social media advertising compared to people of other age groups.
The research further shows that Since January 2017, the number of internet users in Nigeria has kept stable above 85 million, reaching more than 103 million in 2024. An estimated 81 million users access the internet by use of mobiles. According to a survey, as of the third quarter of 2023, the majority of internet users protected their digital privacy by expressing concern about what is real versus what is fake on the internet, while others often declined website cookies or used an advertisement-blocking tool. Moreover, latest data available show that smartphones and tablets were the most common devices from which the internet was accessed, referring to around 84 percent of internet users. Internet affordability also becomes a question in social media usage. As of 2023, the price of a gigabyte of mobile data in the nation, for instance, ranged between 0.39 and 1.64 U.S. dollars
With global increase in the use of social media daily, Influencer marketing on social media is a rapidly growing industry, projected to reach $16.4 billion in 2022 according to a research by Statista, Pew Research, Backlinko available on prioridata.com. Similarly, social media advertising revenue is expected to surpass $258 billion in 2027, with Facebook and Instagram accounting for the largest share.
Social commerce (e-commerce via social media platforms) is therefore gaining popularity, with an estimated $492 billion in sales globally since 2022.
Opportunities of Global Social Media Penetration
The global penetration of social Media usage, Influencermarketinghub.com posits that; influencer marketing is predicted to be valued at $24 billion by the end of 2024, a massive increase from $16.4 billion in 2022. Influencer advertisement spending is forecasted to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.36% between 2024 and 2028 according to statista.com, bringing its market volume to $52 billion by 2028. Instagram is the most used social media platform for instance in the United State of America with influencer marketing spending estimate of, $2.2 billion spent on the platform in 2024. TikTok is in second place with $1.2 billion and YouTube with 1.07 billion. On average, the influencer marketing ad spending per internet user is $6.3 in 2024. Over 37% of brands have worked with up to 10 influencers, while 14.7% have worked with more than 1,000 influencers.
The social media penetration in Africa has grown together with the increasing internet usage. However, despite the rapid growth, internet connectivity on the continent is lower compared to other world regions. In 2022, internet penetration in Africa was forecast to reach 47 percent, rising from nine percent in 2010. By the end of 2021, internet penetration in Africa was short of the global average by 23.1 percentage points. Notably, Southern and Northern Africa were significantly ahead of the other regions on the continent in the share of people using the internet at 66 percent and 63 percent, respectively. On the other hand, Eastern and Central Africa had the lowest internet penetration.
Next Step for Africa
The social media landscape is changing, with platforms like Facebook, TikTok, WhatApp, Youtube etc. now influencing marketing strategies. The successes and global recognition of the African and Nigerian creative industry in particular is a testament to the country’s rich talent and innovative spirit. Therefore, African Government as a matter of fact must prioritize investment in the creative industry so as to position the country for the benefit of the huge opportunities of the global Social Media penetration.
As social media usage increases, Government across Africa must develop effective Policy and legal framework so as to enable her talents, creators and influencers who depend on social media to ply their trade are well-positioned to lead globally, setting new trends and standards. The support from the government and the local and international community through robust policy and legal framework will be crucial to ensure that the social media penetration particularly in Africa reaches its full potential.
Countries in Africa like Nigeria with a dynamic socio-economic landscape and youthful demographics, will, with government support in providing better internet connectivity, offer huge opportunities for businesses to connect with their audience and leverage innovations to stay ahead in the dynamic landscape of influencer marketing.
