Statistics on social media use by generation

Knowing which platform your target audience is most engaged on is absolutely essential when it comes to Paid Social marketing. If you’re running Meta ads but your target audience spends the majority of their time on TikTok, it doesn’t matter how good your creative is, you’ll be wasting your budget. Therefore, it’s important to understand the ins and outs of social media use by generation.

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It’s easy to spot general patterns when it comes to social media usage. Different generations prefer different platforms, in part because it’s what they’ve grown up with.  Millennials were in their young adulthood when Instagram came onto the scene, sharing their authentic daily moments, all made orange with the classic sepia filter. Gen Z is growing up with TikTok and can understand a completely different sense of humour and style of content than other generations because it’s all they’ve ever known. But what are the stats behind this? Are things as clear-cut as they seem or are there some surprising stats? We’ve done a deep dive into social media use by generation to see exactly who is using which social media platform.

Let’s get into the numbers…

• 61.4% of the world’s population (4.95 billion people)  use social media
• 93.4% of people who use the internet also use social media

That opens up a HUGE market to potentially get your organic and paid social content in front of. But how does this differ from generation to generation?

Boomers

According to statistics, Boomer’s social media use is predicted to reduce. This is likely because this generation did not grow up with social media and therefore aren’t used to as much daily use as other generations. Boomers lived through a time when you couldn’t Google something you needed to find out, let alone TikTok it, so it’s not surprising to hear that they’re the generation that is seeing a decline in use. Stats also show that Boomers favor more traditional forms of marketing and communication, such as email, which again isn’t surprising as they will be more adapted and familiar with this. Here’s three key stats about Boomer’s social media use:

1. According to previous research by Sprout Social, ‘The majority of Baby Boomers plan on keeping their social media usage steady in 2024. Only 19% anticipate using more social networks than they do today, and 22% anticipate using fewer’
2. 69% of baby boomers prefer brands to contact them via email
3. Baby boomers spend 1 hour and 48 minutes per day on Facebook and Instagram.

Millennials

Millennials are a lot more likely to use social media than Boomers, likely because they spent their young adulthood with the major platforms emerging onto the social media scene. For a lot of millennials, their social media presence will have formed part of their identity growing up, with their Sepia-filled Instagram feeds housing all of their key moments. Millennials love social media so much in fact that Seventy-two percent of them state that social is an essential part of their lives. Here are 6 key stats about Millennial social media use:

1. 61% use social to communicate with family, friends, and acquaintances
2. 51% use social to kill time
3. 47% use social to learn about new trends
4. 43% use social to get breaking news
5. Nearly half of millennials (42%) are using Meta Threads daily and 36% are using the platform weekly.
6. When it comes to brand awareness, 40% of millennials say memorable brands prioritise original content over trending topics.

Gen Z

Gen Z is probably the most stereotyped generation when it comes to social media usage and are often branded as ‘phone obsessed’, which isn’t strictly untrue given 92% of Gen Xers use social media every day.

However, the new generation isn’t just mindlessly scrolling- they’re creating original content, coming up with new ideas, driving trends, and influencing popular culture through social media. We’ve pulled together these stats to give you an idea of how Gen Z is utilising social media, so you can target this key audience in an effective way:

1. Previous research by Sprout Social shows that ‘41% of Gen Z consumers say they anticipate using more social networks than they do today’ in 2024.
2. Gen Z is one of the fastest-growing demographics on LinkedIn —contributing to a 41% increase in content posted on the platform between spring 2021 and spring 2023.
3. 42% of Gen Z consumers find the most memorable brands on social media to be those that actively respond to their customers– think Ryanair, Duolingo etc… there’s a reason these brands get so much traction on social media- they actively engage with customers and make it an integral part of their social media strategy
4. When targeting Gen Z, there’s a massive opportunity to capture an audience with high intent to purchase. There’s been an 11% year-on-year rise in the number of teens who say finding things to buy is one of their main reasons for using social. 
5. According to GWI ‘Gen Z are driving a shift toward inspiration-seeking searches on social media – especially on Pinterest. They’re big into using mood boards to collate their findings; 47% of Pinners say they use the app for style inspiration, almost as many for home décor/design ideas, and 18% for wedding/event inspo.’
6. Social media is increasingly becoming a way to consume news and get involved in bigger world issues such as politics, with 50% of US Gen Z and millennials consuming information on US politics on social media in the last month. 

When we break down the stats, we can see that social media use by generation is much more complex than it may first seem. It’s important to understand these stats to know how to tailor your social marketing accordingly. Our expert Paid Social team knows these stats inside and out and can help you tailor your paid social strategy to target the right people on the right platforms. To learn more about our paid social offerings you can contact us today us on 0161 327 2635 or by email at [email protected].

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Deeper insights

If you’d like to learn more about Paid Social advertising, our team of experts has shared their knowledge on our blog.

• Head of Paid Social, Harriet, has shared five things every social media marketing strategy needs
• Client Services Manager, Chloe, wrote about 30 stats on Instagram vs TikTok
• Paid Social Manager, Tom, explored why people use social media