Social media growth is, in a word, explosive. As individuals and companies alike flock to social networking platforms like Facebook, Orkut, Twitter and LinkedIn, the result is an unrivaled growth rate that continues to climb.
Maybe you’ve heard a less enlightened person say things like “Facebook is a fad” or “Social media isn’t going to last.” Instead of hysterically laughing at them and walking away, try presenting some compelling statistics courtesy of one of our favorite methods of gathering data: the infographic.
The brilliant minds at Search Engine Journal are at it again with a comprehensive infographic that details “The Growth of Social Media.” The amount of data included in the infographic is impressive, if not a little intimidating, but it’s worth a thorough examination.
Some of our favorite stats?
- If Facebook were a country, it would be the world’s 3rd largest, preceded by China and India.
- Need some persuading when it comes to the power of social networking and your job search? Fifty-three percent of employers research potential candidates using social networks. We’ve said it once, we’ll say it again: be careful about what you put on Facebook (and everywhere else!)
- Between 2010 and 2011, Twitter’s tweets per day have grown 252 percent – from 27 million per day to 95 million per day.
- If you need help convincing your company or brand to jump on the social networking bandwagon, consider these company usage statistics: 71 percent of companies use Facebook, 59 percent use Twitter and 33 percent use YouTube. Only 6 percent use MySpace. Sorry, Tom.
- The number of companies that have launched corporate blogs has steadily increased from 16 percent in 2007 to 43 percent in 2012.
- Flickr members upload 3,500 images per minute.
The bottom line? Since 2005, social media has demonstrated phenomenal growth, a trend that’s expected to continue at a similar pace in the coming years. Did any of the statistics presented in the infographic surprise or fascinate you? We’d love to hear your input!
Shelly Kramer is a Principal Analyst and Founding Partner at Futurum Research. A serial entrepreneur with a technology centric focus, she has worked alongside some of the world’s largest brands to embrace disruption and spur innovation, understand and address the realities of the connected customer, and help navigate the process of digital transformation. She brings 20 years’ experience as a brand strategist to her work at Futurum, and has deep experience helping global companies with marketing challenges, GTM strategies, messaging develoment, and driving strategy and digital transformation for B2B brands across multiple verticals. Shelly’s coverage areas include Collaboration/CX/SaaS, platforms, ESG, and Cybersecurity, as well as topics and trends related to the Future of Work, the transformation of the workplace and how people and technology are driving that transformation. A transplanted New Yorker, she has learned to love life in the Midwest, and has firsthand experience that some of the most innovative minds and most successful companies in the world also happen to live in “flyover country.”