With the rise of live streaming, social platforms are driving user engagement and driving time spent on apps.
The evolution of the ranking of the most downloaded social applications (from 2012 to 2021). © App Annie
In its Evolution of Social Media Apps report, App Annie deciphers the use of social applications over the past decade, marked in particular by growing consumer spending and the rise of live streaming. This global vision of the use of social platforms allows marketing professionals to better understand their uses in order to design more effective campaigns.
74 billion downloads worldwide, Asia in the lead
Globally, 74 billion social media applications have been downloaded to date, including 4.7 billion downloads in the first half of 2021 alone. Asia is the leading region for social media downloads ( 60% of the market), boosted by India, followed by the United States, Indonesia, Brazil and China.
© App Annie
$ 22.2 billion spent on social media
While users are increasingly using these platforms, their spending is also growing. According to the study conducted by App Annie, 22.2 billion dollars were disbursed, of which 10.378 billion dollars in Asia, 5.806 billion in North America and 3.351 billion in Europe. In the first half of 2021, spending on social applications represented $ 3.2 billion, up 50% over one year.
© App Annie
44% of time spent on mobile
The time spent on social media and messaging applications also continues to increase, with a total of 740 billion hours recorded in the first half of 2021, or 44% of the time spent on mobile worldwide.
The time spent in social applications has maintained constant growth over the past 3 years, up 30% in the first half of 2021 compared to the first half of 2018, the report said.
© App Annie
Note that the time spent on social platforms has exploded in India since 2018, reducing the gap with China from 115% in 2018 to 7% in the first half of 2021.
The rise of live streaming, TikTok ahead of YouTube
According to the study, the use of live streaming apps exceeds that of social chat, photo and video platforms. So, time spent in the top 5 social media with an emphasis on live streaming is expected to exceed 500 billion hours on Android devices in 2021, excluding China, with an estimated growth rate. at 25% over 3 years against 15% for other applications.
Live streaming drives growth in engagement with social apps, which prepares them for consumer spending, App Annie analyzes.
© App Annie
24% increase in spending on streaming apps
Social platforms, which offer live streaming, represent $ 3 of the $ 4 spent on the first 25 social applications in the first half of 2021. The market share of consumer spending increased by 24% for these. applications compared to 2018 (76.24% in 2021 against 52% in 2018).
In terms of time spent, TikTok dominates the platforms:
TikTok has shaken up the streaming and social media landscape with an average monthly time per user surpassing YouTube in the US and UK, with significant growth in South Korea, where the time spent on YouTube is 2.5 times more importantly, confirms App Annie.
© App Annie
The New Economy for Creators on Social Platforms
The study also highlights that in-app purchases on social media have increased thanks to the savings made by content creators during live broadcasts. The sticker packs that were once offered have been replaced by bits on Twitch, which can encourage and financially support streamers, subscriptions to access exclusive content, or virtual coins like those offered on TikTok. App Annie predicts spending on social apps could reach $ 78 billion by 2025.
The most popular social apps rankings since 2012
Discover the evolution of flagship applications, such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok or Snapchat since 2012, through the number of downloads, spending and time spent.
Top 10 Most Downloaded Social & Entertainment Apps
While the Facebook ecosystem (Facebook, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp) dominated the previous decade, the most popular app of the 2020s is now TikTok. In the first half of the year, the Chinese social network was ahead of Instagram and Facebook. Telegram ranks 5th ahead of Snapchat (see image from one of the article above).
The top 10 social and entertainment apps that generated the most spending
Exit Line and Netflix, social media users now spend the most on YouTube and TikTok, ahead of Disney + (launched in the US in 2019), Tencent Video and Bigo Live (Chinese livestream application).
© App Annie
The top 10 social and entertainment apps by time spent
If TikTok (5th in 2021) is currently testing the possibility of sharing longer videos of 5 to 10 minutes, we see that YouTube has been flying over the ranking in time spent since 2018, ahead of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram. Note the 9th place of Twitter, which is positioned just behind Netflix.
© App Annie
While Facebook and WhatsApp are still among the most downloaded apps globally in the first half of 2021, the top video platforms, those offering short-lived video content and live streaming, have risen significantly in the rankings, along with TikTok. the new number 1 in terms of downloads, Snapchat and MX TakaTak in the top 10 (…). Short videos, authentic content and live streaming are pillars for cultivating deep engagement, with live streaming in particular stimulating the growth of the past time, decrypts App Annie.
