I hate math. But I love numbers.
The list of social media networks is huge. From text to photo, from video to audio, every aspect of online communication is covered. To not get lost within this net of social media services, it’s important to remind ourselves that we don’t have to be on every social media platform available to us. Pick and choose wisely!
With that in mind, here’s a list of the most popular social media networks by monthly active users in 2021 worldwide. Only two countries are represented in this list. The oldest network launched in 2003 while the youngest is from 2016. Can you name all 15, the top 10, or the top 5? Take a guess!
The list
The list is structured as follows: Below the name, you’ll find the number of monthly active users first, then the launch date of the social platform, and finally the country the company behind the network resides in.
Excluded from this list are VoIP and messaging apps like WhatsApp, Viber, or iMessage. Included are all apps that provide a social networking component with public sharing options for text, video, photo, and/or audio.
1. Facebook
2.8 billion | launched 2004 | USA
2. YouTube
2 billion | launched 2005 | USA
3. WeChat
- 2 billion | launched 2011 | China
4. Instagram
1 billion | launched 2010 | USA
5. TikTok
689 million | launched 2016 | China
6. Weibo
550 million | launched 2009 | China
7. Qzone
517 million | launched 2005 | China
8. Pinterest
459 million | launched 2009 | USA
9. Snapchat
433 million | launched 2011 | USA
10. Reddit
430 million | launched 2005 | USA
11. Douyin (Chinese TikTok)
400 million | launched 2016 | China
12. Kuaishou
400 million | launched 2011 | China
13. Twitter
330 million | launched 2006 | USA
14. Tieba
300 million | launched 2003 | China
15. LinkedIn
250 million | launched 2003 | USA
Closing
Some of the numbers surprised me. I had Twitter higher on this list and Pinterest lower. But this is how the social media landscape looks like in 2021. Are you surprised? Which network do you actually use?
