social report q3 2014

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GWI Social• Q3 2014 •

GlobalWebIndex’s quarterly report on the latest trends in social networking

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Index

KEY TRENDS & IMPLICATIONS05Page

INTRODUCTION03Page

TOPLINETRENDS07Page

FOCUS ON FACEBOOK22Page

DEVICE TRENDS AND MESSAGING APPS30Page

AGETRENDS38Page

FUTUREOUTLOOK44Page

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IntroductionGWI Social is where GlobalWebIndex presents the very latest figures for social networking behaviors and engagement levels across more than 30 global markets.

Drawing on our Q3 2014 wave of research, we highlight a range of demographic, region and market specific trends and offer insights on:

• The most popular social networks and apps, including rates of growth over the last six months• Current attitudes towards Facebook• The rise of mobiles, tablets and messaging services • Networking behaviors by age, with a special focus on teens.

By analyzing such recent and robust data – which is representative of nearly 90% of the global internet audience – we are able to cut through the headlines and hype to provide a unique understanding of what’s actually happening within the social media landscape.

Clients can access further detail on any of the topics covered in this report through our pre-cut data packs available to download in the Insight Store, or by analyzing them against bespoke, target audiences in our PRO Platform.

For further details on social trends at a national level, please see our Market Reports – each of which contains a section dedicated to networking platforms and behaviors.

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Notes on MethodologyEach year, GWI interviews more than 170,000 internet users across 32 markets – making it the largest on-going study into the digital consumer instigated to date..

EMEAUK / Ireland / France / Germany / Italy / Spain / Netherlands / Poland / Turkey / Russia / Sweden / Saudi Arabia / UAE / South Africa

AMERICASUS / Canada / Mexico / Brazil / Argentina

APACChina / Hong Kong / Singapore / India / Indonesia / Japan / Taiwan / Vietnam / Thailand / Malaysia / South Korea / Australia / Philippines

Research is conducted in quarterly waves, each of which has a global sample size of more than 40,000 internet users. Typically, we interview between 3,000 and 4,000 people every year in each market, with larger sample sizes in key countries such as the UK and the US (30,000 each). Data is collected in the last six weeks of every quarter, ensuring it is as up-to-date as possible. In this particular report, we draw primarily on our Q3 2014 wave of research among 41,823 adults.

Respondents complete an online questionnaire that uses stratified sampling techniques to ensure that they are representative of the internet population aged 16 to 64 in each country (with correct proportions in terms of gender, age and educational attainment).

This data is also used to calculate the universe estimates which we present throughout this report. Universe figures are designed to provide highly informed approximations as to the number of users (in millions) that any percentage represents.

GWI’s Usage DefinitionsWe measure three forms of engagement with social platforms, defined as follows:

• Account Ownership – those who say they have an account on a social network• Visitation – those who say they have visited the network in question in the last month (via any device)• Active Usage – those who have an account and say they have used or contributed to the network in the last month (via any device)

These definitions are consistent across all of the platforms we track and thus allow accurate comparisons between networks. In contrast, self-published figures from social networks tend to use a wide and competing range of factors, but would typically utilize ‘Visitation’ as a definition of ‘Active Usage’. To see an example of this and explore GWI’s numbers in more detail, please download the Understanding Facebook’s User Numbers trend from the Insight Store.

ChinaIn addition to using local platforms, it’s clear that large numbers of internet users in China are connecting to major global platforms such as Facebook via VPNs, Proxy Servers and other tools – something we address in the charts dedicated to Chinese social networking and which we explore further in our Market Report on China’s internet population.

However, due to the sheer scale of the Chinese market, its high number of local social networks and the official restrictions it places on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, China is excluded from most of the global charts presented in this report (see the base of each one for confirmation).

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KEY TRENDSAND IMPLICATIONS2

Key Trendsand Numbers

• Tumblr and Pinterest are the fast growing social platforms in 2014, with their active user numbers having increased by 120% and 111% respectively. Instagram is the third fastest riser, up by 64% since Q1 2014. However, all social networks saw an increase in active usage during Q2 and Q3 2014 as the World Cup became a major talking (and sharing) point within the online space.

• Tumblr and Instagram have the youngest audiences, with more than 70% of their users being 16-34. In contrast, Facebook has the oldest user base; a quarter of its active users are aged 45+.

• Despite its active user number having grown by just 2% since the start of 2014, Facebook is still the number one global network – and by an appreciable distance. Outside of China, 4 in 5 internet users have a Facebook account – a figure which peaks in LatAm at 93%. What’s more, 1 in 2 say they are actively using Facebook each month, giving it about twice as many active users as the three sites which compete for second position: Twitter, YouTube and Google+. More than half of Facebook’s active users are also logging in multiple times per day, a figure which is higher than the equivalent for any other network. That said, YouTube has the highest visitation rate – 85% of online adults are visiting it each month (putting it nearly ten points ahead of Facebook, on 76%).

• Facebook has some major challenges to face. Firstly, people are growing tired of it, with 50% of members in the UK and US saying that they’re using it less frequently than they used to (rising to 64% among teens). Some of the top reasons for this include that members are less interested in Facebook than they used to be (45%, climbing to 54% for teens), that they’re bored of it (37%, but up to 50% for teens) and that it’s not as cool as it used to be (18%, rising to 27% for teens). Facebook is also the only network which has seen a drop in active usage among 16-24s during 2014; although it’s a very small one (-0.5%), it needs to be viewed in the context of all other networks posting substantial increases among this demographic. Finally, it’s clear that people are using Facebook more passively; since the start of 2013, we’ve seen behaviors like sharing photos and messaging friends fall by around 20 percentage points.

• In the mobile space, Snapchat is the fastest growing app (up 56% since the start of 2014), although Facebook is still by far the top social app overall (being used by 43% of internet users). Facebook also dominates in terms of chat/messaging apps, with Messenger (27%) having re-taken the lead from WhatsApp (25%) following Facebook’s decision to strip the messaging functionality out of its main app. The teen problem is present here once again for Facebook: teens over-index more strongly for Snapchat than any other app, with the highest usage rates among this audience coming in key markets such as the UK, Canada, the USA and Australia (where the figures range from 25-40% among online teens, often putting Snapchat ahead of Facebook’s messaging apps).

• Multi-networking is flourishing; China excluded, a significant 91% of 16-64s visited YouTube or Facebook or Twitter or Google+ last month. Moreover, some 19% visited all four.

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• Mobiles and tablets are seeing big rises for social networking, whereas the audience engaging via PCs/laptops is contracting. It’s now about 6 in 10 who use social networks via a PC/laptop, compared to more than 4 in 10 logging on via mobiles. Mobile networking climbs further to pass the 50% mark among 16-34s, however. This behavior is also much more common in fast-growth rather than mature internet nations.

• Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and Proxy Servers have become a major gateway to social networks, especially in those fast-growth markets where certain platforms are subject to official bans. Overall, some 44% of VPN users say they have visited Facebook in the last month, but this trend is most significant of all in China – where over 90 million online adults say they have used a VPN in order access restricted social networks. This is one of the major reasons behind sites like Facebook and Twitter having substantial audiences in China (with about a third in the country having accounts on the two services).

• Despite this, networking in China is still dominated by Qzone, Sina Weibo and Tencent Weibo, all of which can boast membership rates of two thirds or more. In terms of apps, it is Qzone (60%) and WeChat (59%) which lead – with the latter actually representing the world’s largest messaging app when its huge Chinese audience is included.

Key Implications• The once-influential idea that the rise of one network automatically leads to the demise of another is simply not true – multi-networking is now a major trend, with internet users maintaining profiles across a wide range of social platforms. Any new name entering this space is more likely to become an additional network that people use, rather than supplanting existing ones entirely. It’s in this context that the hype surrounding Ello needs to be viewed.

• Mobiles are rising rapidly to become a first-choice device for social behaviors. Although they still have some distance to cover before they challenge PCs and laptops for supremacy, the gap is closing with each quarter that passes. PCs won’t be abandoned, though: it’s a multi-device approach which now characterizes global internet usage, underlining the importance of cross-platform strategies and campaigns.

• Social networking is absolutely mainstream in fast-growth and mature internet nations alike, confirming its truly global reach. Nevertheless, it’s the relatively young, affluent and urban audiences in emerging internet nations which are embracing networking the most enthusiastically – showing why digital investment decisions should not be based solely on national internet penetration rates. Despite relatively low online coverage in places like India and Indonesia, their social

audiences are vast and can dwarf those seen in a number of countries with some of the highest internet penetration rates of all.

• The huge numbers accessing social networks via VPNs carry serious problems for passive web analytics as many will be incorrectly geo-allocated to the country in which the server they are using is based. This means audiences in fast-growth markets are being under-estimated in terms of size and are receiving lower levels of digital investment than they merit (for more on this, see our Missing Billion white paper).

• Social behaviors are diversifying, with people turning to a range of different platforms to carry out different activities. Smaller networks like Instagram, Pinterest and Tumblr are thus rising into the mainstream, while bigger players like Facebook are being used more passively. For most brands, having a presence on just one social network is no longer sufficient. And while Facebook is still the clear number one, it’s no longer the catch-all site it once was; in certain countries, and among certain demographics, other services now represent just as effective touchpoints in terms of reaching particular audiences (Snapchat and teens in many Westernized markets being a case in point). Similarly, social conversations between users are shifting towards dedicated chat apps, away from the biggest social networks.

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TOPLINE TRENDSTracking the most popular platforms at a global level3

Key Headlines

• Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram are the fastest growing social platforms, although all networks received a boost from increased engagement during the World Cup.

• While Facebook is still the dominant network in terms of members and active users, YouTube is receiving more visitors each month.

• LatAm is the region where internet users are most engaged with social networks, reflecting higher levels of enthusiasm for this activity in fast-growth markets.

• Chinese networking is dominated by Sina Weibo, Qzone and Tencent Weibo, but significant minorities are connecting to sites like Facebook and Twitter via VPNs.

Setting the Scene: Defining an Active UserAcross all of the social platforms tracked by GlobalWebIndex, user engagement is monitored in two main ways:

• Account Membership. People who say they have an account on the platform in question• Active Usage. People who say that, within the last month, they have actively contributed to or used the platform in question.

We measure both of these aspects in order to differentiate a social network’s total potential audience – e.g. its overall membership base – from its current active audience (those who are actually engaging with it on a regular basis). This allows us to see how many of a social network’s members can be legitimately counted as “active users” – by far the most important measure of engagement in a digital landscape where social networking behaviors have proliferated.

Critically, GWI applies the same definitions across all of the platforms that we track. This enables us to assess their relative popularity in a fair and like-for-like way, whereas the networks themselves tend to have rather more complex, competing and sometimes slightly elusive definitions which do not permit accurate comparisons between platforms. In short, in their own self-published figures, an active user as defined by Facebook is unlikely to be the same as an active user as defined by Twitter or Google+.

What’s more, some networks will categorize someone as an active user if they are logged in via their app, if they have clicked an associated button on a third-party website or if they have simply visited the network’s main site without actually doing anything. That means an individual can potentially be classified as active without really engaging with the site – especially where passive web analytics are being deployed. In contrast, GWI’s data has the benefit of representing the user’s perspective; an individual is counted as an active user only if they consider themselves to be one. We believe GWI’s figures thus represent the most accurate and robust snapshot of active usage and offer one of the only ways to make true comparisons across networks.

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Facebook Continues to Dominate Social Networking

Question: On which of the following services do you have an account? // Active users: Which of the following services have you used or contributed to in the past month using any type of device?Source: GlobalWebIndex Q3 2014 Base: Internet users aged 16-64, exc. China

CHART 1: Top 20 Social Platforms - Account Ownership and Active Usage

Whether we look at account membership or active usage, one trend remains absolutely consistent: Facebook is still the leading name within social networking – and by an appreciable distance.

Outside of China, GWI tracks more than 35 named platforms – some global, some localized to particular regions or markets. Despite this wealth of services, Facebook is ahead of all of them. As 2014 nears its end, the social networking giant is able to boast a 20-point lead over its next closest rival in terms of both membership and active usage rates.

In the last few months, it’s been common to see reports which attack Facebook and which claim that it’s losing its relevance and popularity. Although there’s no easier way to grab attention and headlines, this simply isn’t true. The fact remains that no other social network can currently offer a comparable reach, no other social network has such consistent popularity across countries and no other social network is integrated so comprehensively within the infrastructure of the internet (e.g. via “like” buttons).

Certainly, the ways in which people are interacting with Facebook continue to evolve – a theme we explore further in the following chapter – but it’s critical to recognize that, outside of China, more than four fifths (83%) of online adults are members of Facebook, while close to half (47%) consider themselves to be actively using the network. For a service which is now more than ten years old, this is an extremely impressive achievement.

Behind Facebook, there are three platforms which compete for second position: YouTube, Twitter and Google+. If we look at membership, YouTube and Google+ are both approaching the two-thirds mark (63% and 62% respectively), with Twitter following

Want to explore this data on the PRO Platform? Enter “Account” or “Active” in the free search box, or click Social Media > Social Platforms > Account Ownership / Active User. Alternatively, you can download our pre-cut “Account Ownership: Social Platforms” or “Active Usage: Social Platforms” data packs

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closely behind (55%). Rates are much more equal in relation to active usage, though, with each of the three being used by around a quarter of internet users.

Other social networks then capture relatively small shares for active usage, with Instagram, LinkedIn and Pinterest around the 15% mark and Tumblr, Badoo and Myspace scoring just under 10%. But although they represent much smaller presences than a giant like Facebook, these figures are very much in line with the trend towards networking becoming more diversified – with people turning to different networks to carry out different behaviors and, in cases, engage with different audiences (for more on this, see our Multi-Networking trend).

Outside of their home market, Chinese micro-blogging sites Sina Weibo and Tencent Weibo have attracted small but significant active user bases of 7% and 6% respectively. And while localized platforms VK and Odnoklassniki might be minor presences globally, they are major forces inside Russia – something we assess in more detail below.

Networking by Region – YouTube Leads for Visitor Numbers

CHART 2: The Top Social Platforms by Region

Question: Membership: On which of the following services do you have an account? // Visitation: Which of the following websites/services have you visited or used in the last month via any device? // Active usage: Which of the following services have you used or contributed to in the past month using any type of device? /// Source: GlobalWebIndex Q3 2014 /// Base: Internet users aged 16-64, exc. China


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In addition to the key metrics of account membership and active usage, GWI also monitors the numbers of internet users who say that, within the last month, they have visited the largest social networks via any device. If we analyze these three measures across the four biggest global platforms, some important nuances emerge – especially as YouTube is a platform that many people might be visiting without considering themselves to be a member or active user.

Taking membership first, Facebook is in pole position across all five world regions – further confirmation of its global dominance in terms of social networking. More than three quarters of internet users in every part of the world have a Facebook account, with the figures peaking in Latin America at an extremely impressive 94%.

Both LatAm and MENA are in fact ahead of Facebook’s home territory of North America, something which reflects the younger age profiles of internet populations in fast-growth markets, as well as the wild popularity of social networking activities among users in these nations. Indeed, all of the other major networks also score their best membership rates in these same two regions.

The success of Google+ in fast-growth markets is clear to see from these figures; in regions like LatAm and MENA, its membership rate is only around 10 percentage points behind that of Facebook (in contrast, it is 30 points behind in North America). For a social platform so much younger than Facebook to have achieved this level is a real achievement; in fact, its lower engagement rates in key markets within Europe and North America means that its overall reach continues to be under-appreciated in some studies.

Overall, Europeans remain the least enthusiastic about social networking, posting the lowest membership rates across 3 of the 4 platforms. This is being driven by the northern part of the continent in particular, where figures typically fall the furthest behind the global average – something we explore below.

If we switch our attention to visitation rates – that is, the percentage of internet users who say they have visited the social platforms in question during the last month – a rare phenomenon occurs: Facebook falls from the number one spot, to be overtaken by YouTube.

Globally, 85% of online adults outside of China are regular visitors to YouTube, putting it just ahead of Facebook (76%) and giving it a considerable lead over Twitter (40%) and Google+ (30%). And this is a pattern/ranking which is consistent across all five world regions – something which underlines the importance of aligning campaigns with the most appropriate form of visitor engagement.

That over 80% of internet users in all parts of the world are visiting YouTube each month reflects just how central it has become to online behaviors, as well as the vital role of the internet as a content-consumption channel. Indeed, the sheer levels of engagement with social platforms are striking: China excluded, a mighty 91% of global internet users visited YouTube or Facebook or Twitter or Google+ last month. That’s just 9% not engaging with at least one of the big four, then. What’s more, some 19% of internet users visited all four – showing once more the strength of the trend towards multi-networking across multiple platforms.

Across the final of the three metrics considered in Chart 2 – Active Usage – Facebook returns to pole position, with more than half in LatAm, MENA and North America saying that they actively used it in the last month. No other network comes close to matching this in any of the five regions, confirming one of the areas where Facebook really is dominant – from the user’s perspective, it is Facebook where active engagement levels are by far the highest. Facebook’s score here is in fact around twice that of the other three networks.

These figures also underline one of the challenges that Google+ still needs to overcome; although its membership figures are high – a partial result of many of Google’s services having for a long time required people to sign-up to the network – it has yet to convert a significant portion of these users to visitors or active users. Unlike some of the other networks, it lacks a base of people who are visiting but not actively using it; the size of this audience for Google+ (7%) is half that of Twitter’s (15%) and leagues behind that of YouTube (59%) or Facebook (29%). Even so, that nearly a third in a region like MENA consider themselves to be active on Google+ is still significant given the relatively young age of the network.

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Visitor Rates by Country –YouTube and Facebook DominateAcross 29 of GWI’s 32 markets, YouTube is the most visited of the big four social platforms; it typically scores impressive visitation rates of 80%+, but rises to hit 90% or more in eleven countries.

The only exceptions to this pattern are in Indonesia and Turkey – where YouTube ties with Facebook for first position – and in Japan, where Facebook has not made the same type of impact as elsewhere and trails considerably behind YouTube (Twitter is slightly ahead of Facebook in this market too, the only place where this happens).

Facebook scores above 90% in seven countries, all of which are fast-growth markets. Similar geographical patterns are in evidence for Twitter and Google+ too. As we saw above with the regional figures, internet users in these countries are typically the most engaged with, and enthusiastic about, social networking. Indeed, in places such as Indonesia and Malaysia, more people say they are visiting social networks than search engines each month – a testament to their huge popularity and to how widespread social behaviors have become among all segments of their online populations (but among young, affluent and urban segments in particular, which account for the largest numbers of internet users in these market types).

Along with Japan, Facebook dips to 50% or below only in Russia – where local platforms VK and Odnoklassniki present strong challenges and can boast greater percentages of active users – as well as in China, where Facebook and other global names are subject to official bans and where numerous domestic platforms capture the biggest shares (we explore this in more detail below).

Despite countries like the US and the UK being some of the most closely observed in terms of digital trends, these countries normally come towards the lower end of the country rankings across all of the major social platforms. Two demographic trends help to account for this: firstly, their populations have an older overall profile, meaning there are more people in the upper age groups; secondly, their internet penetration rates are typically very high, meaning their online populations are much more representative of the overall national population (put simply, it’s not just that these countries have more older people generally, it’s that more of these older individuals are online). And, as older age segments tend to be less engaged with social networking behaviors (as with digital trends more generally), it’s hardly surprising that their engagement rates across sites such as Facebook are slightly lower.

The least enthusiastic nations of all are typically clustered in northern Europe, comprising places such as France, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands and Poland. It’s similarly telling that Japan and Australia feature towards the bottom of most lists: within APAC, these are the two countries with the highest internet penetration rates and the oldest populations. In Japan, there’s an extra factor at play, though: the types of behaviors which are integral to social networking are less closely aligned to prevailing social norms in this country than in many other markets.

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CHART 3: Visitors to the Top Social Platforms by Country

Question: Which of the following websites/services have you visited or used in the last month via any device? /// Source: GlobalWebIndex Q3 2014 /// Base: Internet users aged 16-64 in each country

Want to explore this data on the PRO Platform? Enter “Web Brand” in the free search box, or click Cross-Device > Web Brand Visitation - Device Split > Web Brand Visited in the Past Month on PC, Mobile or Tablet. Alternatively, you can download our pre-cut “Website Visitation” data packs

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Facebookers Log In the Most FrequentlyFacebook doesn’t just have the highest percentage of active users, it can also claim the most frequent engagement rates: more than half (54%) of Facebook’s users are logging in more than once a day – a figure which puts it 20 percentage points ahead of second-placed Twitter. And, significantly, if we re-base this to be among the total online population, it is some 25% of internet users aged 16-64 who are logging on to Facebook multiple times each day.

Question: Thinking about the social platforms that you use or contribute to each month, can you please tell us how often you typically use each one? /// Source: GlobalWebIndex Q3 2014 /// Base: Active users of each network aged 16-64, exc. China

CHART 4: Frequency of Visits on the Top Global Social Platforms

Want to explore this data on the PRO Platform? Click Social Media > Social Platform Usage Frequency. Alternatively, you can download our pre-cut “Social Platform Usage Frequency” data packs

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That more than half of Facebook’s active audience is connecting so frequently is a testament to how ingrained it has become within daily lives, but also of the ongoing migration of social networking behaviors from PC/laptop to mobile platforms; the nature of smartphone internet usage means that many users are checking in multiple times a day, albeit for relatively short periods. There’s also a strong age effect at work here: the younger a Facebook user is, the more likely they are to be using the service more than once a day. By region, it is users in LatAm who are ahead for this behavior; by country, users in Malaysia, the Philippines and Mexico are the most engaged.

Tumblr and Pinterest are the Fastest Growing Social Platforms

In contrast to Facebook’s dominance on most measures, a different pattern emerges when we look at growth rates over the last six month. By comparing changes in the number of active users from Q1 to Q3 2014, it is Tumblr (+120%), Pinterest (+111%) and Instagram (+64%) which are the fastest growing platforms.

CHART 5: Top Social Platforms: Growth in Members and Active Users during Last Six Months

Question: Members: On which of the following services do you have an account? // Active users: Which of the following services have you used or contributed to in the past month using any type of device? /// Source: GlobalWebIndex Q1 2014 - Q3 2014 /// Base: Internet users aged 16-64, exc. China

Unsurprisingly, all this means that Facebook also possesses the highest proportion of active users among its membership base (the final section of Chart 4). That is, 56% of Facebook’s members are actively using it – a figure which is higher than for any of the other networks, and which is particularly impressive given Facebook’s larger overall membership base. Indeed, the differences with some other networks are clear: on Google+, for example, a lower 37% of members are actively using it.


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Of course, the Big 4 social platforms (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google+) have by far the largest existing membership and active user bases, and hence it’s easier for the smaller networks to post stronger growth rates. Nevertheless, these figures are very much in line with the trend towards Multi-Networking and are consistent with the quarter-on-quarter growth rates that we’ve been seeing on smaller and more specialized networks over the last year. The old idea that the rise of one network automatically leads to the demise of another is simply not true – digital consumers are happy to maintain profiles across a wide range of social services and to engage with them for different purposes. It’s also telling that, across the motivations which GWI tracks in terms of why people use social networks, Facebookers over-index the most for visiting the site because “a lot of my friends are on it”.

Arguably, the most significant trends in Chart 5 are that the numbers not engaging with any social network have fallen. Between Q1 and Q3 2014, there was a 14% decrease in the share who said they didn’t have accounts on any of the 35+ networks tracked by GWI, together with a 26% fall in those who said they hadn’t actively used any social platform. In short, it’s not just that networks have managed to attract more new members during 2014, it’s that many existing members have been using them more frequently. This is a clear break from trends in 2013 and the first half of 2014, where we were seeing consistent and notable increases in the numbers not engaging with social networks (and with Facebook, YouTube, Google+ and Twitter specifically).

The biggest driver of this change in momentum was the World Cup, which took place during late Q2 and Q3 and which caused a serious boost to the numbers interacting with social networks. As we discuss in our World Cup Social Trends report, social networks were a primary source of tournament-related news and a major go-to point for discussing and sharing views about games. Given the competition’s truly global reach – and that majorities of our respondents said that they were following games – it’s not a surprise to see upticks in our Q3 results. Whether this can be sustained in the next quarter will be a key metric to watch, especially with messaging apps continuing to capture so much of the direct communication that used to take place on social networks proper (we explore this further in the Device Trends chapter).

Even allowing for the World Cup effect, though, we shouldn’t ignore the fact that the smaller networks like Pinterest and Instagram are enjoying booming engagement rates and are beginning to emerge as more serious competitors to the Big 4 platforms. Although they still have some way to go before they can challenge the supremacy of the more established networks, their country-by-country figures shows that – in some places – it’s no longer fair to classify them as niche destinations.

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CHART 6: Instagram, Pinterest and Tumblr

Question: Account: On which of the following services do you have an account? // Active users: Which of the following services have you used or contributed to in the past month using any type of device? /// Source: GlobalWebIndex Q3 2014 /// Base: Internet users aged 16-64, exc. China


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Instagram is now being used by more than a quarter of internet users in five of GWI’s countries and, overall, Zuckerberg and co. can boast ownership of the first and fifth biggest social networks outside of China. Instagram’s highest engagement rates are in Thailand (32%), Saudi Arabia and Turkey (28% each) but the US remains the dominant market if we convert national percentages into audience figures (with close to 30 million active Instagram users). The site’s figures are relatively even by age and gender but there’s a predictable spike among younger age groups. As we might expect, active users of Facebook also over-index strongly here; they are 1.7x more likely than average to be engaging with Instagram, underlining the power of one company owning both sites.

Pinterest also scores its highest usage figures in Thailand (24%), with more than a fifth of internet users engaging in Indonesia, India, South Africa, the USA and Saudi Arabia. In terms of audience sizes, the USA is once again dominant, though. Unlike Instagram and Tumblr, the gender split for Pinterest is skewed towards women, while age-based patterns are as one would expect: 16-24s are more than twice as likely as the older age groups to be engaging.

For Tumblr, the gender and income splits are pretty even but the youngest age groups are in the lead once more. In terms of countries, there’s a fairly neat divide – with fast-growth nations in the top half and more mature markets in the lower half. So, the 18% who are engaging in the leading countries of Saudi Arabia and India compare to just 9% in the US and 6% in the UK. This is in line with the general popularity of blogging and blog-related platforms in emerging internet markets: consumers in these countries are much more vocal when it comes to sharing their own views online as well as engaging with blogs written by other people. As a result, Indian internet users represent a much larger segment of Tumblr’s user base than their American counterparts. China is also a major player – something we explore in the next section.

Chinese Networking: Qzone, Sina Weibo and Tencent Weibo Still Dominate

In Q3 2014, just 7% of Chinese internet users said they didn’t have an account on any social network. And just 14% reported that they hadn’t actively used any social platform within the last month. Given the vast size of the country’s adult internet population (rapidly approaching the 500 million mark), the number of social networkers that these figures represent are colossal. What’s more, given that China accounts for about a third of all internet users across the 32 markets surveyed by GWI, it’s easy to see how global averages can be dragged down if a trend is not pronounced in this particular market. It’s for this reason that the charts above excluded China.

Currently, three platforms dominate the Chinese networking landscape, with more than two thirds having accounts on Sina Weibo, Qzone and Tencent Weibo. In terms of active usage, Sina and Qzone are both above the 50% mark, while Tencent follows closely behind at 44%.

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CHART 7: Top 15 Social Platforms in China - Account Ownership and Active Usage

Question: Account: On which of the following services do you have an account? // Active users: Which of the following services have you used or contributed to in the past month using any type of device? /// Source: GlobalWebIndex Q3 2014 /// Base: Internet users in China aged 16-64

Want to explore this data on the PRO Platform? Enter “Account” or “Active” in the free search box, or click Social Media > Social Platforms > Account Ownership / Active User. Alternatively, you can download our China Market Report as well as our pre-cut “Account Ownership: Social Platforms” or “Active Usage: Social Platforms” data packs

Traditionally, many Chinese networks have been seen as close equivalents to some of the global platforms tracked in our earlier charts; micro-blogging sites Sina and Weibo are viewed as the Chinese versions of Twitter, Qzone’s similarities to Facebook have been much discussed while Youku has been held as comparable to YouTube. Given that many of the world’s major networks are subject to official bans in China, it’s therefore been assumed that the country’s internet users are turning to these local equivalents because they can’t access the international ones. However, our data shows that this simply isn’t the case: significant minorities of Chinese internet users have accounts on Google+ (39%), Facebook (36%), Twitter (29%), YouTube (26%), as well as many of the more specialized platforms. Smaller but still important groups are actively using them each month, too: rates on Google+ and Facebook are actually higher than those for domestic platforms Kaixin and 51.com, for example.

Of course, the figures for the Big 4 global platforms in China are significantly below the equivalents recorded in almost all other nations – hence why they have been excluded from earlier charts to stop trends in one country distorting the global picture. Nevertheless, when we convert the percentages in China into audience figures, it’s clear that all of the major platforms have substantial Chinese user bases (typically, in fact, China represents one of their top markets in terms of audience size).

In some traditional studies, it’s still common to see Chinese usage of Facebook, Twitter and similar sites recorded as zero. This is a major mistake. There are in fact a number of ways that Chinese internet users are bypassing official restrictions on social networks; these include logging in while abroad or via apps, but by far the biggest technique is using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) or Proxy Server.

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VPNs: A Major Gateway to Social NetworksFor anyone unfamiliar with VPNs, they allow people to bypass traditional connections and tracking methods to use the internet via a remotely located server; essentially, it’s as if people are entering the internet discretely via a side door rather than through the main entrance. That means VPNs can provide access to any social network which is subject to geo-restrictions (whether in place to protect content or because usage has been prohibited by authorities).

At present, VPNs are still viewed as pretty niche tools used mainly by savviest or geekiest of internet users. Worldwide, though, it’s over a quarter of online adults who say they’ve used one to connect to the web. Hardly that niche, then – especially when we recognize that this percentage translates to more than 400 million VPN users.

Significantly, VPN usage is much higher in fast-growth rather than mature markets. What’s more, using them to access social networks is a major motivation, with a notable peak in APAC; as our chart shows, it’s Indonesia and Vietnam which lead the way (22% each), followed by China (20%).

CHART 8: Using VPNs to Access Social Networks

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CHART 8: Using VPNs to Access Social Networks

Question: Can you please tell us why you use VPNs or proxy servers when browsing the internet? To access restricted social networks/// Source: GlobalWebIndex Q4 2013 - Q3 2014 /// Base: Internet Users aged 16-64

Want to explore this data on the PRO Platform? Enter “VPN” in the free search box, or click Internet Landscape > VPN/Proxy Usage. Alternatively, you can download our pre-cut “VPN and Proxy Server Usage” and “VPN and Proxy Servers: Usage Motivations” data packs

Look at the corresponding audience sizes, and the importance of these tools in China is plain to see: over 90 million online adults in China have used one to access restricted social platforms. Compare that to places like the UK and USA, where the equivalent figure is just 3%, and the disparity is pretty striking (with most of the 1 million UK and 5 million US users looking to access networks which are restricted in their place of work).

Globally, this behavior is most common among men and 16-34s but – interestingly – it’s equal across the income quartiles.

Not only does this trend underline the potential limitations of using passively collected, geo-located data – which can over-estimate the size of social audiences in markets such as the USA, where VPN and Proxy servers tend to be located – it also emphasizes the growing futility of attempting to prevent national audiences from accessing certain sites. Just look at how easily internet users in Turkey were able to overcome the government’s restrictions on Twitter earlier this year, for example.

But this data also shows why networking behaviors in China – as well as in many other fast-growth markets – are much more diversified and sophisticated than often assumed. In fact, if we look at the social networks being actively used by those who have deployed VPNs, the numbers are pretty compelling.

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• The Missing Billion (GWI’s white paper on audience measurement)• Understanding Facebook’s User Numbers (GWI Trend)• Multi-Networking (GWI Trend)• Profiling Pinterest Users (GWI Infographic) • Facebook Visitors in MENA (GWI Infographic)• Instagram Users (GWI Infographic)• Social Networking in China (GWI Infographic)

• Google+ Users (GWI Infographic)• YouTube Users in the UK (GWI Infographic)• Account Ownership: Social Platforms (GWI Data Pack)• Active Usage: Social Platforms (GWI Data Pack)• Website Visitation: PC, Mobile, Tablet (GWI Data Pack)• VPN and Proxy Server Usage (GWI Data Pack)• VPNs and Proxy Servers: Usage Motivations (GWI Data Pack)

Question: Which of the following services have you used or contributed to in the past month using any type of device? /// Source: GlobalWebIndex Q3 2014 /// Base: VPN Users aged 16-64

CHART 9: Social Network Usage Among VPN Users

% VPN users active on the following services

Want to explore this data on the PRO Platform? Enter “VPN” in the free search box, or click Internet Landscape > VPN/Proxy Usage. Alternatively, you can download our pre-cut “VPN and Proxy Server Usage” and “VPN and Proxy Servers: Usage Motivations” data packs

Given its number one position overall, it’s perhaps not surprising to see that VPN users are most likely to be active on Facebook (44%). But other major platforms are well represented too, including Google+ (33%), Twitter (31%) and YouTube (30%). Potentially, that means that significant portions of the audiences for these sites are being incorrectly geo-allocated by passive analytics – underlining the importance of actively reported data gathered direct from internet users themselves. It also gives clear context to the buzz generated by Facebook’s Atlas platform, as well as other tracking techniques which rely on self-reported information from users who remain logged in across devices.

For further analysis of the topics covered in this section, please download the following from the Insight Store:

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FOCUS ON FACEBOOKCurrent trends on the leading social network4• Although Facebook’s membership and visitation rates are still climbing, active usage is falling – with 50% of members in the UK and US saying they are using it less than they used to, and more than a third claiming to be bored of Facebook. All of these figures rise higher among teens.

• Visitor numbers via PCs/laptops have contracted in recent quarters, whereas those accessing via mobiles and tablets have risen strongly.

• Usage of Facebook’s two apps is growing strongly, especially for Messenger (up by nearly 250% since early 2013).

Key Headlines

Facebook Usage Becoming More PassiveWhen Facebook’s performance is tracked over time, two trends emerge very clearly: membership and visitation rates have been holding steady or increasing, while active usage levels have been experiencing a moderate decline.

There was relatively little change in the percentage of internet users who had a Facebook account between early 2013 and late 2014 (with the figure hovering just above the 80% mark outside of China). However, as the size of the global internet population increases with each quarter that passes, this means that the total membership base has risen by more than 200 million during this period.

It’s a similar story with visitation rates – the headline figures have remained at about 75%, meaning the total number of internet users visiting Facebook each month has grown by around 90 million. Overall, then, Facebook’s audience size and reach remain in the ascendancy.

But the picture for active usage is rather different. Here, the figures have fallen from more than two thirds in early 2014 to just under 50% in late 2014. Although the World Cup caused a small uptick in the final quarter on Chart 10, the prevailing downwards trend here is pretty clear to see. That means the numbers who consider themselves to be actively using Facebook have fallen by around 100 million.

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DEFINITIONS· Account Owners – 16-64 year-olds who claim to have an account on Facebook· Visitors – 16-64 year-olds who claim to have visited the site in the last month (via any device)· Active Users – 16-64 year-olds who have an account and say they have used or contributed to the site in the last

month (via any device)

Source: GlobalWebIndex Q1 2013 - Q3 2014 /// Base: Overall: Internet Users aged 16-64 // Behaviors: Active Facebook Users aged 16-64

Want to explore this data on the PRO Platform? Click Social Media > Social Platforms > Account Ownership / Active User or Cross Device > Web Brand Visitation. Alternatively, you can download our pre-cut Facebook data packs as well as our “Understanding Facebook’s User Numbers” trend

CHART 10: Facebook: Key Figures and Behaviors

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Understanding GWI’s user numbers for Facebook

GWI and Facebook have varying estimates surrounding the extent of active usage, with GWI’s “visitors” figure being the closest proxy for Facebook’s “active user” measure.

GWI’s visitor number is typically about two thirds the equivalent of Facebook’s corresponding active user number (in September 2014, Facebook claimed to have 1.35 billion monthly active users, whereas GWI’s data showed it to have 901 million). This is a direct result of the different definitions that each applies, with GWI data representing 89% of the global internet audience and not including the following:

• Duplicate accounts (estimated by Facebook to represent between 4.3% and 7.9% of their worldwide monthly active users in 2013)• False accounts (whether “user-misclassified accounts” or “undesirable accounts”, estimated by Facebook to represent between 0.8%-2.1% and 0.4%-1.2% of worldwide monthly active users respectively).• Auto log-ins (people who are automatically logged in to the service without actually using it, a common issue with mobile applications in particular; these users are counted as active by Facebook) • Third-Party Likers (people who are signed in via a third-party website and click a “like” button but who are not actively using the main site itself; these users are counted as active by Facebook)• Incorrectly geo-located users (Facebook notes that “data regarding the geographic location of our users is estimated based on a number of factors, such as the user’s IP address and self-disclosed location. These factors may not always accurately reflect the user’s actual location.”)• Users under 16 or 65+• Individuals who access the internet via a mobile only (this group will be added to GWI’s core survey shortly)

Both datasets have their own merits but we believe that one of the biggest strengths of GWI’s figures is that they measure usage in terms of numbers of people rather than users. They also show the numbers who perceive themselves to be using Facebook, as opposed to passively collected data which can incorrectly classify people into this group.

To explore this subject in more detail, please download the Understanding Facebook’s User Numbers trend from the Insight Store.

Across GWI’s 32 countries, Facebook still has more than 600 million active users aged 16-64 – far more than any other social network. And, as we’ve seen, its overall audience size is still rising. Facebook is certainly not dying a slow death, then, despite what some reports like to proclaim. That said, it is clear that behaviors on the platform are changing and evolving. The biggest driver of this has been the rise of passive networking: people are still engaging with Facebook – hence why membership and visitation rates are still growing – but they’ve been using it in different ways. In short, they’re still on Facebook but they’re carrying out fewer actions while there.

If we look at some key behaviors on Facebook – all of which were pretty fundamental to Facebook in its earlier days – we get some stark confirmation of this trend. Over the last six quarters, the numbers messaging friends on a 1-to-1 basis have dropped by 20 percentage points. Meanwhile, there’s been a 17-point drop in updating one’s profile status, a 10-point drop in uploading videos and – perhaps most starkly of all – a 24-point decrease in photo uploading. The same pattern is present for all of the behaviors we track on Facebook – the numbers doing them on a monthly basis have been undergoing sharp declines.

It’s a complex combination of factors which are causing this move towards more passive forms of Facebooking. For certain behaviors, there are some very specific contributors. For example, it’s not hard to see how the rapid rise of Instagram would cause fewer people to upload photos on Facebook, especially as the two sites have such a big crossover in terms of their membership bases. Similarly, the explosion of mobile messaging apps means that many of the conversations that used to take place inside Facebook have now migrated elsewhere (a trend which has been accelerated by Facebook’s decision to remove the messaging functionality from its main app).

At a more general level, though, the rise of mobile networking is playing its part here too. Broadly speaking, mobile visits to social networks tend to be more frequent but shorter and less interactive than those made via other devices. Although there’s no set rule, it is fair to say that – generally – people are more likely to browse their newsfeed and perhaps click the like button than undertake more in-depth activities. And this encourages much more passive forms of engagement where people are more likely to simply look at things rather than interact with them. As a result, many will not consider themselves to be actively engaging with the site, even if they are still visiting it.

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50% of Facebook Members Say They Are Using It LessFor a site which is more than ten years old, there’s a boredom factor at work too. It’s natural that some people will grow less interested in a site over time – especially when so many others are now available to use. But we also have to recognize that the social networking landscape now looks very different to when Facebook first launched. Back in 2004, Myspace represented the only significant competition for Facebook, and younger age groups were very quick to adopt the “cool” new network-on-the-block. Facebook was fresh and new. For today’s teens, this simply isn’t the case – Facebook is not just old, it’s the network that their older siblings grew up with and which – in many cases – their parents are now using too. These factors feature very prominently when we ask current members about their attitudes towards Facebook.

CHART 11: Facebook Usage Levels in the US and UK

Question: Are you using Facebook less than you used to? For what reason(s) are you using Facebook less than you used to? /// Source: GlobalWebIndex Q3 2014 /// Base: 12,399 Facebook Members in the US and UK aged 16-64

Want to explore this data on the PRO Platform? Click Social Media > Facebook Access > Facebook Usage Levels and Social Media > Facebook Access > Motivations to Use Facebook Less

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When GWI surveyed nearly 12,500 Facebook members in the UK and USA, some 50% said that they were using the site less than they used to. Men (55%) were slightly ahead of women (46%), while the younger groups posted higher figures than the older ones, but the cross-demographic nature of the agreement was the most striking trend.

The top reason given by Facebook members for using the site less frequently was that they were simply less interested in it than they used to be (45%). But more than a third (37%) claimed to be bored of Facebook and close to a fifth (18%) think that the site is no longer as cool as it once was.

Privacy concerns loom large too, with nearly 3 in 10 saying that they don’t believe Facebook is secure or private enough – something which might help to explain why Facebook recently released a Tor hidden version of its site. Elsewhere, the more competitive nature of the social networking landscape also has relevance: the numbers saying that they’ve started using other types of sites such micro-blogs, messaging apps or photo-sharing services approach the 10% mark in each case.

As we’ve noted, many of the attitudes seen above are to be expected on a site that is more than a decade old. But a much bigger problem emerges for Facebook if we look at response rates among teens (defined here as 16-19s) – the most coveted but fickle demographic for any social networking site, and the one into which Snapchat has been able to make serious inroads.

At a headline level, it’s nearly two thirds of teens who say they are using Facebook less than they used to. Just as significantly – and even more worryingly for Facebook – teens under-index on saying that they’re spending less time on social networks generally but then over-index on almost all of the specific anti-Facebook options. Put simply, teens are less likely than others to be moving away from social networks as a genre but more likely than other audiences to be moving away from Facebook. Interestingly, teens are behind others for thinking that Facebook lacks sufficient security or privacy credentials – one of the biggest initial selling points for Snapchat. But they then over-index the most strongly for using alternative types of social networks and for being bored of Facebook. Ten years ago, Facebook was the site that any teen wanted to be on; now, Facebook has become the opposite – it’s lost a serious part of its appeal among this key demographic.

All that acknowledged, some caveats are essential here. Along with other users, teens haven’t left Facebook – they’re still visiting it and using it, they’re just less positive about it than they used to be. Even more crucially, Facebook doesn’t need its users to love it; its ad-based revenues are underpinned by the proposition of reaching specific audiences. So, as long as membership and visitation rates remain strong or on the rise – as they are – profits will follow. Indeed, this is one of the major strengths of Atlas, its new advertising platform. Not only can Atlas use the information it knows about you from Facebook to target you while you’re on other websites or in third-party apps, it overcomes the problems of being reliant on cookies. It thus represents a significant leap-forward in terms of mobile tracking in particular, an area where 3rd party cookies have been made redundant through restrictions at the operating-system level, such as those on iOS devices among others.

In short, the success of Atlas depends on people being logged in rather than actively engaging with the site; if we bear in mind that more than 4 in 5 adult internet users outside of China currently have a Facebook account – and hence have handed over basic demographic information about themselves as well as a degree of behavioral data derived from their usage habits – the potential reach and accuracy of Atlas is pretty impressive. No wonder it’s been seen by many as a direct challenge to Google’s DoubleClick platform as well as one of the best solutions yet to the challenge of understanding today’s multi-device internet users – able to marry up visits made in different browsers/apps and across different devices.

Atlas will also benefit from the types of actions that people are most likely to undertake on Facebook; as Chart 12 demonstrates, by far the most popular form of interaction in Q3 2014 was clicking the “like” button.

50% of Teens are Bored of Facebook

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CHART 12: Top Behaviors on Facebook

Question: Thinking about when you use Facebook, can you please tell us if you have done any of the following within the last month? /// Source: GlobalWebIndex Q3 2014 /// Base: Facebook Members aged 16-64

Want to explore this data on the PRO Platform? Click Social Media > Social Platform Past Month Activities > Facebook Actions. In the same section, PRO Platform users can also explore lists of behaviors specific to Twitter and Google+

Globally, close to 85% of Facebook members say that they have used the “like” button within the last month. And although teens are behind average on this measure, the figure still hits the three-quarters mark even within the demographic – giving Atlas just the type of information it needs to deliver more effective advertising. What’s more, close to half say they have visited a brand’s page, 4 in 10 report having followed a new company or brand, 3 in 10 have shared branded photos or videos and a quarter have posted something positive about a company. All this is very positive news for Facebook – even though the teen problem is in evidence once more (the only place where teens over-index compared to other users in for “unliking” a brand).

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Facebook App Usage Climbs by 200%Despite Facebook usage becoming more passive in character, one of the other highly positive stories for Facebook is its booming engagement rates via mobile devices.

CHART 13: Facebook Visitors by Platform

Question: Internet users who have: visited Facebook in the last month via PC/Laptop, Mobile or Tablet; who have used its official app; and who have used Facebook Messenger /// Source: GlobalWebIndex Q1 2013 - Q3 2014 /// Base: Internet Users aged 16-64

Want to explore this data on the PRO Platform? Click Social Media > Social Platforms > Account Ownership / Active User or Cross Device > Web Brand Visitation. Alternatively, you can download our pre-cut Facebook data packs as well as our “Understanding Facebook’s User Numbers” trend

Over the last two years, the numbers visiting via PCs or laptops have grown by just 2% (although if we were to shorten the time period in question, we’d actually see a decline here across the most recent quarters).

In contrast, visitation rates via all other devices and platforms are rising rapidly. Mobile and tablet visitors have increased by 44% and 77% respectively, but the most momentum can be seen for its two apps. On its main smartphone app, numbers have shot up by 198% since Q1 2013 – an obvious reflection of how strongly social networking behaviors are migrating to mobile (as well as showing that the large majority of smartphone visitors are accessing the site via the official app rather than the mobile website).

millions

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Even more significant is the increase for Facebook Messenger – up by nearly 250%. In part, of course, this has been driven by Facebook’s decision to strip the messaging functionality out of its main app and encourage (or force) people to use Messenger instead. Although patterns are far from uniform on a country-by-country basis, the global rise is pretty clear to see: outside of China, the number of internet users engaging with Messenger stood at just 8% back at the end of 2012, whereas it had hit 27% by Q3 2014. In certain countries, the spike caused by the migration to Messenger is in fact obvious: in the UK, usage shot up from 15% in Q1 2014 to 26% in Q3 2014.

When Facebook removed messaging from its main app, it seemed designed to protect the Facebook brand within a rapidly evolving social networking landscape; as conversations shift away from the major networks towards mobile chat apps, the danger for Facebook was that it could become increasingly sidelined, especially with WhatsApp destined to remain a standalone product.

But while it was a smart move in that respect, it’s well-known that social networkers don’t like change – least of all when it’s being forced on them. The level of discontent being vented on forums – and on Facebook itself – was clear testament to this; while some users didn’t mind the migration, lots of them were pretty furious with the social networking giant. Of course, Facebook has never shied away from making changes when it wants to – even when users were likely to react badly – but this one seemed bigger than most.

Now we know there was another pretty major factor at play: Facebook doesn’t just see Messenger as a communication platform, it wants it have a much bigger, and more overtly commercial, function – with a bit of digital sleuthing by a Stanford University student having uncovered a piece of code showing its planned role as a peer-to-peer money transfer service.

The system mimics the mechanics used by WeChat in allowing users to send money to each other via PIN-secured transfers based on debit card payments; it’s fairly easy to see in this the influence of PayPal’s former president David Marcus, who joined Facebook in June. And although other person-to-person payment apps have been out there for a while now, Facebook’s huge reach would give it a distinct advantage in terms of pushing this behavior into the mainstream.

Even more crucially, GlobalWebIndex’s research reveals close to half of Messenger’s users bought something via their mobile in Q3 2014 (ahead of the equivalent figure among the general online population, with a 1.33 over-index). Although not explicitly designed for purchasing products at the moment, it’s not hard to imagine how Messenger’s new role could be expanded further to facilitate this, giving Facebook a significant footprint in a space set to enjoy massive growth in the months and years ahead. Following its largely unsuccessful “gifts” service, quietly withdrawn earlier this year, we know that Facebook has been testing a “Buy” button in the US and will be keen not to lose ground to its rival Twitter, which has already unveiled its plans for an equivalent feature.

Seen in this context, the evolution of Facebook Messenger is actually a fairly critical part of the social network’s future success. Although Facebook shares are now trading at twice their IPO price, Mark Zuckerberg and his executives know that Facebook needs to become more than just a network supported by advertising revenues alone. Just look at the hype surrounding new-kid-on-the-block Ello to see how weary some users are becoming of its seemingly relentless focus on advertising.

Facebook’s move into the money transfer and online shopping markets is thus another step in its transition from a social network to a service provider. And it’s one that could prove highly lucrative.

• Understanding Facebook’s User Numbers (GWI Trend)

• Multi-Networking (GWI Trend)

• Mobile Messaging (GWI Trend)

• Facebook Visitors in MENA (GWI Infographic)

• Instagram Users (GWI Infographic)

• Social Networking in China (GWI Infographic)

• WhatsApp Users (GWI Infographic)

• Account Ownership: Social Platforms (GWI Data Pack)

• Active Usage: Social Platforms (GWI Data Pack)

• Website Visitation: PC, Mobile, Tablet (GWI Data Pack)

• Mobile Apps Active Usage: Named Apps (GWI Data Pack)

For further analysis of the topics covered in this section, please download the following content from the Insight Store:

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DEVICE TRENDS AND MESSAGING APPS Understanding social behaviors across devices

5• Snapchat is the fastest growing app overall, and posts its best figures among the key teen demographic.• The numbers using social networks via a mobile or tablet continue to rise, just as the audience using PCs or laptops is contracting in size.• Mobile networkers are young, affluent and most likely to be in fast-growth nations.• Outside of China, Facebook is the top social app and its Messenger and WhatsApp tools dominate in terms of mobile messaging. Inside China, it’s Qzone and WeChat which lead.

Globally, more than two thirds of the online population are actively using social networks on a monthly basis – a figure which has crept up very slightly since 2012. But while PCs and laptops are still the leading devices, it is mobiles and tablets which are enjoying strong growth rates.

Key Headlines

Mobile Networking Continues to Climb

CHART 14: Social Networking and Micro-blogging by Device

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Question: Which of the following have you done online in the past month? Used a social networking service / Used a micro-blogging service /// Source: GlobalWebIndex Q4 2012 - Q3 2014 /// Base: Internet Users aged 16-64, exc. China

Want to explore this data on the PRO Platform? Enter “Online Activities” in the free search box, or click Cross Device > Online Activities - Cross Device Split. Alternatively, you can download our pre-cut “Used a Social Networking Service” data packs

Across GWI’s 32 countries, 3 in 5 adult internet users are now connecting to social networks via a PC or laptop. In terms of percentages, this doesn’t represent much of a decrease since Q4 2012 when the figure stood at 62%. Nevertheless, if we remember that the size of the global internet population has grown considerably over this period, the decline is actually more substantial than it first appears. Although they remain dominant, then, the direction of travel for PCs and laptops is clear: they are slowly losing their grip over social networking behaviors.

Comparing PC/laptops to mobiles is perhaps the clearest way to demonstrate this trend. Back in 2012, PCs had a 30-point lead; as 2014 draws to a close, this has been cut to just 17 percentage points. More than 2 in 5 internet users are now networking via a mobile, with ever-rising smartphone ownership as well as improving access to 4G coverage highly likely to provide further boosts.

During the same period, the numbers networking via a tablet have more than doubled. A fifth of internet users are now using social networks on tablet devices. Whether this rate of growth can continue in the face of bigger and more sophisticated smartphones – especially in the “phablet” category – will be a key area to watch throughout 2015. As we discuss in our Tablet Trends report, there is in fact much evidence to suggest that mobiles are beginning to forge a stronger lead over tablets when it comes to on-the-go activities such as networking.

As we approach the midway point of the decade, close to a third (32%) of internet users say they are engaging with micro-blogs each month. Here, mobiles are already challenging PCs/laptops extremely strongly as the dominant device, being just five points behind. Tablets have been posting increases here too but, as with social networks, the mobile audience remains twice as big.

Of course, PCs and laptops will certainly not be abandoned for either genre; the nature of today’s multi-device internet usage means that these devices will continue to serve as important access points at least some of the time. Nevertheless, mobiles are increasingly becoming a first-choice device for all things social.

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More Than Half of 16-34s are Mobile NetworkersMobile networkers are young and affluent, confirming why they have become such an attractive audience to brands and advertisers.

CHART 15: Profiling Mobile Networkers

Question: Which of the following have you done online in the past month via a mobile? Used a social networking service /// Source: GlobalWebIndex Q3 2014 /// Base: Internet users aged 16-64

%

%

%

Want to explore this data on the PRO Platform? Enter “Mobile Activities” in the free search box, or click Mobile > Activities on a Mobile > Monthly Activities on a Mobile. Alternatively, you can download our pre-cut “Mobile Activities: Used a Social Networking Service” data pack

Gender exerts relatively little impact here, with women (44%) only slightly ahead of men (42%). As we might expect, there are far bigger differences by age: 16-34s (52%) have a considerable lead over the other age groups, with this behavior reaching its lowest point among 55-64s (19%). And, although the differences by income are hardly profound, it’s still within the top income quartile (49%) that this activity reaches its peak.

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The most striking variations are to be found at a regional and national level. While more than half of those in LatAm and MENA are now networking via mobile, for example, the equivalent figures in Europe and North America lag behind at 38% – and this despite the US being the home of so many of the world’s leading networks. In part, this is a result of internet populations in fast-growth regions tending to have relatively young age profiles – making them more likely to engage with social networks generally. But the importance of smartphones in these regions is a key driver too; PCs and laptops played a much less fundamental role in the development of their internet experiences (and infrastructure), meaning internet users have been quicker to embrace online activities on their phones.

These regional trends are reflected if we look at rates of mobile networking by country. Mexico is the global leader – where the figure approaches 7 in 10 – but all thirteen of the markets where this behavior has become majoritarian are fast-growth nations. At the other end of the spectrum, only a third of internet users or less are networking via a mobile in places such as Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, France and Japan. As we explore in our Market Reports, these countries are some of the least enthusiastic about networking at a general level, and hence it’s not a surprise to see them trailing behind global patterns here.

When China is excluded from analysis – a market where WeChat is absolutely dominant (see below) – the strong influence of Facebook over app behaviors is abundantly clear to see.

Facebook has the Top Social and Messaging Apps

CHART 16: Top Social and Messaging Apps

Question: Which of the following mobile / tablet applications have you used in the past month? (on any device) /// Source: GlobalWebIndex Q3 2014 /// Base: Internet Users aged 16-64, exc. China

Want to explore this data on the PRO Platform? Enter “Applications” in the free search box or click Apps > Specific Applications > Specific Applications Used. Alternatively, you can download our pre-cut “Mobile Apps Active Usage: Named Apps” data pack

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In terms of social apps, Facebook (43%) has a five-point lead over second-placed YouTube (38%), with Google+ (24%) and then Twitter (21%) following behind. Instagram can also claim a decent share – with 16% of adult internet users now using it – but most other apps then post relatively minor figures.

As we in Chapter 1, it’s now 47% of adult internet users who say they are actively using Facebook. That 43% are engaging with its app shows just how vital mobile traffic has become to the site (and to social networks more generally) and helps to shed light on the reason for its booming profits based on mobile advertising.

For messaging apps, Facebook can lay claim to the first and second most-popular apps, with Messenger on 27% and WhatsApp very close behind on 25%. Earlier in the 2014, WhatsApp had overtaken Messenger as the top messaging app; that Facebook Messenger has now reclaimed its number one position is an obvious reflection of the social network removing the messaging functionality from its main app.

Globally, the only real challenge to Facebook comes in the form of Skype – an app being used by just over a fifth of the internet population (21%) but which has traditionally been associated with VOIP communication only. Now, though, Skype is launching Qik, allowing users to share 42-second mobile videos that are automatically deleted from the receiver’s phone after 2 weeks (as well as 5-second ‘Qik Fliks’ for even shorter communications). This is a clear attempt to grab a bigger share of the mobile messaging market and to encourage more frequent levels of engagement (VOIP calls are typically made quite infrequently, whereas messaging services are often being used multiple times a day).

The other names tracked in our chart all account for relatively minor shares of internet users. However, as we explore below in relation to Snapchat, these global figures can mask higher levels of growth and engagement within certain countries or among particular demographics.

Snapchat is the Fastest Growing Messaging AppIn the last six months, Snapchat has been the fastest rising social/messaging app – having grown its user base by 56% between Q1 and Q3 2014.

CHART 17: Social and Messaging Apps: Growth in Last Six Months

Question: Which of the following mobile / tablet applications have you used in the past month? /// Source: GlobalWebIndex Q1 2014 - Q3 2014 /// Base: Internet Users aged 16-64, exc. China


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As we saw above, Snapchat remains a relatively minor force overall – being used by just 5% of the total internet audience – but this figure is impacted heavily by low engagement rates in the oldest age groups and in certain key markets with large populations.

Facebook Messenger has also grown its audience by more than 50% as users were forced to adopt it in place of sending messages via the network’s main app. Arguably, therefore, Instagram’s more organic growth of 47% is more impressive.

Snapchat and Facebook certainly aren’t alone in seeing growth during 2014. All of the apps tracked in our chart have posted strong increases in the last six months, giving yet more proof of the ongoing migration of social behaviors to mobile devices.

Snapchat Most Popular Among TeensSnapchat is not just the fastest growing app – it’s also the one where the coveted teen demographic over-index the most strongly (in Chart 18, we list all the social/messaging apps where this audience is ahead of average for usage).

CHART 18: Teen Usage of Social and Messaging Apps

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China excluded, some 13% of teens worldwide are using the Snapchat app each month; that means teens are more than 2.5 times as likely to be Snapchatting as the average internet user. But this figure rises much, much higher in certain countries – with Snapchat performing much more strongly in Europe and North America than in the other world regions.

In terms of the key teen audience, Snapchat has its best coverage in Ireland (38%), Canada (35%) and the UK (35%). But more than a quarter of online 16-19s are also using it in Australia, Singapore, the UAE, Sweden, the Netherlands and the USA. In many of these places, Snapchat is actually more popular with teens than either Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp – something which helps to explain why the service which so famously refused Facebook’s advances remains a serious thorn in its side.

Despite Snapchat’s success among one of the most closely observed demographics, though, it still needs to find some revenue streams. The impending introduction of adverts will help with this, but Evan Spiegel has already stated that they will be opt -in, will be part of the Stories feature and will not interrupt normal messaging. Snapchat simply doesn’t want to become an ad-supported platform in the same way as a

Question: Which of the following mobile / tablet applications have you used in the past month? (on any device) /// Source: GlobalWebIndex Q3 2014 /// Base: Internet users aged 16-64


network like Facebook. And that’s where its rumored investor Yahoo – and its stream of content as well as services such as Summly and Tumblr – could prove very useful, especially as Snapchat has been developing its new Discovery feature to allow people to engage with videos and articles. It’s this sort of content in which advertisers are likely to be much more interested – leaving Snapchat’s original reason-for-being, its messaging function, as a largely ad-free space.

Ultimately, then, this would be a deal which would work for both sides: Snapchat would become more attractive from an advertising perspective, while Yahoo would gain more of a presence on mobile as well as access to a young, trend-setting audience. It’s also more evidence of how social networks are evolving; just as Facebook is looking to become more of a service provider through its new payment feature on Messenger, so Snapchat is eyeing up the content-hub space.

If we return to Chart 18, teens are also noticeably ahead on services such as Vine (2.6 over-index), Tumblr (2.3) and Instagram (1.5). The latter shows just how vital Facebook’s acquisitions have been; while 16-19s are only very slightly more likely than average to be using Facebook’s main or Messenger apps, their strong adoption of Facebook-owned Instagram means that this key group is still active within the wider Facebook network.

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Among Chinese internet users, two apps are significantly ahead in terms of engagement, with Qzone being the top social app (used by 60% of the country’s online population) and WeChat being by far the most popular messaging service (on 59%). WeChat is in fact the world’s top messaging app if the Chinese audience is included, and is a particularly dominant force within the APAC region.

Sina Weibo (49%) and RenRen (28%) also claim significant shares, underlining the dominance of local names in this market, but a number of global names then follow behind – including Google+ (17%), Facebook (14%) and Twitter (11%).

Back in Chart 7, we saw that these three international networks were being actively used by 23%, 21% and 19% of Chinese internet users respectively; these figures for app usage show just how important mobiles are as an access point for networks which are subject to official restrictions within China. Indeed, some two thirds of Chinese Facebookers are accessing at least some of the time via the app, as are 60% of China’s Twitter users. Along with VPNs and Proxy Servers, mobiles are thus a major route for Chinese networkers looking to access the global leaders – explaining why names like Facebook and Twitter have much bigger audiences in China than is often recognized.

Qzone and WeChat are the Dominant Apps in China

CHART 19: Social and Messaging Apps in China

Question: Which of the following mobile / tablet applications have you used in the past month? /// Source: GlobalWebIndex Q3 2014 /// Base: Internet Users in China aged 16-64


• GWI Device (GWI Flagship Report)• Teens (GWI Audience Report)• Mobile Messaging (GWI Trend)• WhatsApp Users (GWI Infographic)• • Social Networking in China (GWI Infographic)• Snapchat in Numbers (GWI Infographic)• Website Visitation: PC, Mobile, Tablet (GWI Data Pack)• Mobile Apps Active Usage: Named Apps (GWI Data Pack)


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AGE TRENDSTracking social engagement by age6

Key Headlines

• Of the major networks, Facebook has the oldest audience and, in the last six months, was the only one to see a decline in active usage among 16-24s.

• Pinterest has seen the highest and most consistent cross-age increases in active usage since the start of 2014.

• More than 70% of users on Tumblr and Instagram are under 35, as are nearly 85% on Snapchat – giving these three services the youngest age profiles.

• 16-24s are the most likely to be sharing on social networks, with 50% saying that one of their major reasons for using these platforms is to find funny or entertaining content.

When the active user bases of the biggest global platforms are split by age, it is Tumblr and Instagram which can claim the youngest audiences – 38% and 37% of their respective users fall within the 16-24 demographic. Overall, in fact, more than 70% of their audiences are under the age of 35.

Across all of the social networks tracked in Chart 20, the dominance of the younger age brackets is clear – 16-24s account for at least a quarter of adult users in each case. Nevertheless, Facebook’s cross-demographic appeal is clear – it has the oldest audience of any major network, with nearly a quarter of users over the age of 45. Even LinkedIn has a younger overall profile.

In part, Facebook’s older user base is a natural consequence of its being the most popular network globally – and the one that older users are therefore most likely to have joined too. Clearly, the audience on a platform like Tumblr might be much younger, but it’s much smaller too. Facebook can also point to the young user base of Instagram. Even so, that YouTube and Twitter both have higher shares of 16-24s than Facebook is a sign of how behaviors have been evolving in recent years. It’s also a reflection of Facebook’s ageing user base; original adopters – now within the 25-34 age bracket – are still active on the site, but today’s youngest generation are not quite as enthusiastic as their predecessors.

In terms of mobile messaging tools, the teen love affair with Snapchat is evident once more; nearly 6 in 10 of its users come from the 16-24 group, with a mighty 84% being 34 or under.

Kik, WeChat and Line can also boast that more than a third of their users are from this key demographic, whereas a service like Skype has a much older audience – a result, in part, of it being so popular as a family communication tool.

Tumblr, Instagram and Snapchat Have the Youngest Audiences

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Want to explore this data on the PRO Platform? Enter “Account” or “Active” in the free search box, or click Social Media > Social Platforms > Account Ownership / Active User. Alternatively, you can download our pre-cut “Account Ownership: Social Platforms” or “Active Usage: Social Platforms” data packs. For apps, enter “Applications” in the free search box or click Apps > Specific Applications > Specific Applications Used. Alternatively, you can download our pre-cut “Mobile Apps Active Usage: Named Apps” data pack

Facebook Sees Small Decline Among 16-24sAs we saw in Chapter 1/Chart 5, the last six months have seen most of the biggest social networks enjoying buoyant rises in their membership and active user numbers as the World Cup became a major, worldwide talking point.

If we look at this by age, though, a pretty telling trend emerges. There’s just one network which experienced a decline in any of the age groups – and that network was Facebook, among 16-24s.

Now, some context is essential here. Facebook only saw the smallest of drops among this demographic (-0.5%) and, overall, it remains the top destination for teens and other younger internet users. It’s also far easier for the smaller networks like Pinterest and Tumblr to post substantial increases, given their lower starting bases. Nevertheless, that Facebook failed to post an increase among this audience against the context of all networks seeing rises in all age groups does illustrate the difficulties that the social networking giant is facing in terms of keeping the youngest segments enthusiastic and engaged. So too does it suggest that the new features it has been launching in a bid to rival those offered by services such as Snapchat have been failing to resonate.

CHART 20: Active Users of the Top Social Platforms and Messaging Tools, by Age

Question: Which of the following services have you used or contributed to in the past month using any type of device? e.g. PC/laptop, mobile phone, tablet, etc. // Which of the following mobile / tablet applications have you used in the past month? (on any device) /// Source: GlobalWebIndex Q3 2014 /// Base: Active social network and active app users aged 16-64, exc. China

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Significantly, other big platforms like Twitter, Google+ and YouTube also saw relatively modest across-the-board increases compared to the other services tracked in our chart. Again, we have to recognize that they have the largest existing user bases, but this is very much in line with the trend towards more diversified, multi-networking behaviors where the smaller and more specialist platforms such as Pinterest, Instagram and Tumblr are the big beneficiaries. Indeed, Pinterest’s growing cross-demographic appear is clear: it’s the only platform to see a rise of 100% or more across every age group.

CHART 21: Changes in Active User Numbers in Last Six Months, By Age

Question: Which of the following services have you used or contributed to in the past month using any type of device? e.g. PC/laptop, mobile phone, tablet, etc. /// Source: GlobalWebIndex Q1 2014 - Q3 2014 /// Base: Internet users aged 16-64, exc. China


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16-24s are the Biggest SharersOne of the reasons why the 16-24 group is usually seen as the most important in terms of social networking trends and behaviors is illustrated by Chart 22: if we analyze networkers using GWI’s social segmentation, they are the most likely to be actively sharing content, commenting on posts and interacting with others.

CHART 22: Social Segmentation, by Age

/// Source: GlobalWebIndex Q3 2014 /// Base: Social networkers aged 16-64, exc. China

Want to explore this data on the PRO Platform? Enter “Segmentation” in the free search box, or click Social Media > Behavioral Segmentation > Social Behavioral Segmentation.

“Sharers” are individuals who upload photos, hit “like” buttons, re-post/re-tweet or share content; the vast majority of 16-24s (and 25-34s) fall into this category, with the figures then decreasing in line with age, to hit just 50% among 55-64s.A similar pattern is present across four of the other segments, with 16-34s leading the way in each case:

• The “creators” – networkers who are uploading videos, writing stories or blogs, running their own websites or contributing product ideas to campaigns. • The “commenters” – those who have posted questions or comments across various social platforms. • The “socializers” – individuals who say they use the internet to stay in touch with friends or to keep others up-to-date with their lives. • The “reviewers” – those who are posting reviews and opinions online.

Clearly, then, younger networkers remain the most engaged group; 16-34s carry out the greatest number of activities on social platforms, as well as having the broadest behavioral profiles.

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Only with the “passives” segment do we see a different situation. This group incorporates those networkers not included in any of the other categories – i.e. those who are not typically interacting with content or other users in any major way. This segment includes just 9% of 16-24s but a much more substantial 31% of 55-64s (with the figures rising directly in line with age). So, older internet users are not only less likely to be on social networks in the first place, those who do use them are less likely to be as active as their younger counterparts.

This pattern is present once more when we look at the motivations that people say they have for using social networks; across all ten options tracked in Chart 22, it is 16-24s who post the highest figures.

CHART 23: Social Networking Motivations, by Age

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• Generations (GWI Audience Report)• Website Visitation: PC, Mobile, Tablet (GWI Data Pack)• Account Ownership: Social Platforms (GWI Data Pack)• Active Usage: Social Platforms (GWI Data Pack)• Mobile Apps Active Usage: Named Apps (GWI Data Pack)

Question: What are you main reasons for using social networking services? /// Source: GlobalWebIndex Q3 2014 /// Base: Social networkers aged 16-64, exc. China

Want to explore this data on the PRO Platform? Enter “Motivations” in the free search box, or click Social Media > Social Network Services > Motivations to use a Social Network

In some cases, the percentages for the youngest networkers are more than twice those seen in the oldest group – a pattern in evidence for sharing details of their daily lives, meeting new people, filling spare time and finding funny or entertaining content.

But perhaps the most revealing insights emerge through analyzing the areas where each group over-index the most compared to the average internet user. Doing this shows that 16-24s are highly focused on following celebrities and with sharing details of their lives/keeping up to do with what their friends are doing. In stark contrast, many older networkers seem to be engaging out of habit or because they don’t want to be left behind by their peers – with 55-64s posting some of the strongest relative figures for using networks because their friends are and because they tend to visit networks as part of their online routine.

BIGGEST OVER-INDEX

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FUTUREOUTLOOK7• The arrival of Facebook’s Atlas is very much a sign of things to come in terms of social advertising. Currently, a third or more of US Facebook and Twitter users say they are deploying ad-blocker tools when using the internet, while three quarters of global internet users report having deleted cookies from their browsers at some point. In this context, techniques which rely on a user being logged in or identified from personally reported data are set to enjoy a strong positioning. This is especially true in light of high levels of device sharing and VPN usage.

• The ways in which people use Facebook will continue to evolve – especially as networking becomes more specialized and diversified and some of the smaller platforms like Instagram and Pinterest challenge for mainstream status. Interactions on Facebook itself will become more passive and less frequent, although the site will not see any major short- or medium-term decline in membership or visitor rates. As a result, Facebook will still offer the type of scale and reach that no other platform can match. Although it has a major challenge to face in terms of teen engagement, its ownership of WhatsApp and Instagram will ensure it remains a highly relevant name among this audience.

• Fast-growth nations are set to contribute the lion’s share of growth in terms of new internet users in the coming years. With online populations in these markets already the most enthusiastic about social networking, audiences in these countries are set to grow even more valuable to advertisers in the rest of this decade.

• If current trends continue, mobiles will soon challenge PCs for supremacy in terms of the most favored social networking devices. PCs, laptops and tablets will still represent major access points – with multi-device usage being the prevailing trend – but networking is transitioning into a mobile-first activity. Strong uptake of messaging apps and services will be a particular driver for this.

• Local platforms are struggling to compete with the truly global networks – as demonstrated by ongoing declines in usage on a site like Tuenti in Spain as well as the closure of Hyves in the Netherlands. Even in China, it’s clear that large numbers are keen to use international platforms like Google+, Facebook and Twitter. This does however bring opportunities for truly global campaigns.

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www.globalwebindex.net

Jason ManderHead of Trends

E: [email protected] /// O: +44 20 7731 1614A Trendstream Limited, Bedford House, 69-79 Fulham

High Street, London, SW6 3JW, England

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