Instagram ahead of Facebook and TikTok as favorite among social media users

Although Facebook and TikTok convincingly lead in the number of users, Instagram, the third-largest platform in the social media space, is the favorite among social media users.

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According to data presented by OnlyAccounts.io, almost 16% of social media users named Instagram as their number-one social media platform, 2% more than Facebook, and double the share of TikTok.

Instagram`s and TikTok`s Popularity Grows, Facebook Losing Ground

The number of Instagram users has swelled over the past few years. According to Statista data, the photo and video-sharing social networking app is expected to hit 1.3 billion users in 2023, 86 million more than a year ago. By 2027, this figure is expected to grow by another 17% and hit 1.56 billion worldwide. And while that is still far less than Facebook`s or TikTok`s user count, both social media giants are losing the race with Instagram when it comes to popularity in the social media space.

According to the latest Digital Global Overview Report, 15.7% of social media users aged between 16 and 64 named Instagram their favorite choice, 1.5% more than six months ago.

Facebook ranked as the second most popular platform, with a 13% share among respondents. However, statistics show the social media giant has lost some popularity since April, when 14.2% of social media users named it their top choice.

The DataReportal survey also showed that Instagram is far more popular than TikTok, which had only a 7% share among respondents. Still, this represents an increase from a 6.1% share the short-form video platform had six months ago. X, formerly Twitter, ranked in the middle of the list with a 3.2% share among social media users, almost the same as in April. The survey showed Snapchat was the least popular among social media users, with only 1.3% of respondents naming the platform their favorite choice.

People Spend Almost 16 Hours Per Month on Instagram, Four Hours More than Last Year

Besides its surging popularity in the social media space, Instagram has also seen a considerable increase in the average time spent using its app. According to The Digital Global Overview Report, Android users worldwide spent an average of 15 hours and 50 minutes using Instagram per month, or nearly four hours more than last year.

TikTok remained an absolute king in this category, with an average of 33 hours and 28 minutes spent using the app in one month, a whopping ten hours more than in 2022. Facebook was also ahead of Instagram, with 18 hours and 50 minutes. But that`s almost an hour less than the social media giant’s usage time last year. Statistics show Telegram users spent nearly four hours using its app each month, or 45 minutes more than a year ago.