Study: YouTube the most popular social platform in 2023

In 2023, YouTube was the most visited social media platform with visits soaring to 1.35 trillion in 2023, a significant leap from its 2019 count of 263.3 billion. This growth signifies an 80.49% increase over the last five years, with the platform's growth rate hitting a 5.13 multiple. Undoubtedly, this is due to the ease of viewing content with the introduction of YouTube Shorts.

The user demographic leans more towards male users at 67%, with a considerable 69.96% of access coming from mobile devices, indicating a strong preference for on-the-go video consumption.

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Following close behind in terms of visits are Facebook at 216.4 billion visits and X at 112.9 billion visits, a significant jump from its 41.6 billion visits in 2019, translating to a 63.19% increase and a 2.72 multiple in growth rate.

It also noted that X's user base skews slightly male at 57%, and mobile usage dominates at 77.51%, reflecting the platform's utility for timely updates on the move.

These were the results of a recent study by marketing measurement platform Lifesight.io. The study utilised SEMrush analytics to analyse the trends in social media visits across the globe, which peaked at 1.98 trillion in 2023, marking a 70.56% growth over five years that has not been seen before.

Coming in at fourth is Instagram with its visits surging to 87.3 billion in 2023, a substantial growth from 32.8 billion in 2019. This translates to a 62.40% increase in the last five years, with a growth rate of 2.66 times.

The platform's user base is evenly split with 67% male and 33% female, and it's predominantly accessed via mobile devices at 58.05%, according to the study. 

Coming in behind Instagram is Reddit, boasting 81.0 billion visits in 2023, up from 25.3 billion in 2019. This represents a 68.72% increase, tripling its footprint with a growth rate of 3.20 times.

The platform's user demographic is slightly more male at 69%, and it sees 72.27% of its traffic coming from mobile devices, highlighting the community-driven nature of content consumption, it said. 

Breakout star TikTok on the other hand has seen an explosive 60.15 times increase in its growth rate, the highest among the top platforms. From just 0.7 billion visits in 2019, the platform has skyrocketed to 41.8 billion visits in 2023.

With an even distribution of male and female users at 69% and 31%, respectively, TikTok sees 78.35% of its access from mobile devices, reflecting its status as a mobile-centric platform. 

Coming up behind TikTok is WhatsApp with 1.3 billion in 2023 compared to 9.8 billion in 2019, marking a 68.72% increase and a 3.20 times growth in visits.

The platform is predominantly used by male users at 81%, with a high number of desktop users at 64.37%, suggesting its widespread use as a cross-platform communication tool.

Professional networking site LinkedIn comes in next, reaching 20.5 billion visits in 2023 from 8.3 billion in 2019. This is a 59.41% increase in visits, with a 2.46 times growth rate.

The platform has a user base with a male majority of 68%, and it is primarily accessed through desktop devices at 67.73%.

Live streaming platform Twitch has seen its visits almost double from 10.4 billion in 2019 to 20.0 billion in 2023. This growth marks a 48.14% increase, with a growth rate of 1.93 times.

Twitch has a user base comprising 75% male users. However, it has a significant 43.43% of users accessing the platform from mobile devices, indicating the rise of mobile gaming and live streaming viewership.

Lastly, there is question-and-answer platform Quora which saw visits climbing to 19.0 billion in 2023 from 7.6 billion in 2019, a 60.25% increase and a 2.52 times growth rate.

The user base is slightly more male-dominated at 67.5%, with a substantial 73.37% of the visits coming from mobile devices.

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