What are 2 key factors driving the social web in 2013?

According to a Global Web Index study it is:

1. Mobile – with the number of people accessing the internet via a mobile phone increasing by 60.3% to 818.4 million in the last 2 years.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Older users adoption – On Twitter the 55-64 year age bracket is the fastest growing demographic with 79% growth rate since 2012. The fastest growing demographic on Facebook and Google+ are the 45 to 54 year age bracket at 46% and 56% respectively.

These 2 key factors are keeping the social web bubbling along. So maybe the reason your grandparents aren’t turning up to that dinner party is that they have now discovered Facebook and Twitter!
So let’s look at some of the facts, figures and statistics for the major social networks.

Facebook

Facebook continues to grow and work out how to make money from its ads and mobile users. Here are the latest facts and figures from its earnings call for the first quarter of 2013
- Daily active users have reached 665 million
- Monthly active users have passed 1.1 billion for the first time
- 751 million mobile users access Facebook every month
- Mobile only active users total 189 million
- Mobile now generates 30% of its ad revenue, up from 23% at the end of 2012

Twitter

Twitter is the fastest growing social network in the world by active users according to a Global Web Index Study. So how does that translate into hard numbers?
- 44% growth from June 2012 to March 2013
- 288 million monthly active users
- That means that 21% of the world’s internet population are using Twitter every month
- Over 500 million registered accounts
- Twitter’s fastest growing age demographic is 55 to 64 year olds, registering an increase in active users of 79%

YouTube

 

When you wanted to watch a video it used to be VCR, then it became a DVD player, then we moved onto cable networks and now it’s YouTube.
These numbers from YouTube’s own blog puts some perspective on its penetration into our culture and time.
- 1 billion unique monthly visitors
- 6 billion hours of videos are watched every month
- This means that 50% more hours of video are watched in March 2013 compared to last August when it was 4 billion hours a month and last May when it was 3 billion
- YouTube reaches more U.S. adults ages 18-34 than any cable network

Google+

Google+ is making an impact on the social media universe and is now the second largest social network. What are some of the numbers on Google’s social network built to protect it from Facebook’s growth and data capture to ensure it remains relevant?
It is Google’s social layer that enhances its other online assets.
- 359 million monthly active users according to a Global Web Index study
- Its active user base grew by 33% from June 2012 through to March 2013

LinkedIn

The largest professional business network on the planet continues to grow, but not at the pace of Twitter or Google+. Here are some numbers from Visual.ly.
- Over 200 million users
- 2 new users join it every second
- 64% of users are outside the USA

So what numbers surprise you?

You have glanced over the numbers. What has surprised you or is it all a big yawn?
Was it the mobile stats, the increasing use of social networks by 55 year olds or was it YouTube’s relentless rise.
Look forward to your feedback in the comments below.

http://blog.firebrandtalent.com/2013/06/21-social-media-facts-figures-and-statistics-for-2013/