A. Guttmann
Research Lead covering media
Social media advertising and marketing worldwide – statistics & facts
Social media is not just for connecting with friends; now brands meet customers there, and trends are born on these platforms. As social media advertising spending is projected to continue to grow during the second half of the decade, buying behavior is consistently impacted by likes, comments, and shares. In a 2025 survey, generative AI, connected TV, and TikTok/social video were the top three leading consumer trends according to marketers worldwide, making social channels unavoidable for most advertising strategies.
Meta's dominance and the race for ad dollars
As of September 2025, Facebook and Instagram were the social media platforms with the highest return on investment (ROI), according to global marketers. This demonstrates how, despite the rise of new platforms like TikTok, Meta remains a dominant force within the industry. Meta's annual advertising revenue surpassed 196 billion U.S. dollars in 2025, reflecting continued double-digit growth. As of January 2025, over four in five marketers surveyed worldwide said increased exposure was a leading benefit of social media marketing, making it essential for any media strategy. The relevance of these channels expands beyond the realms of retail and direct-to-consumer (DTC) business models, as LinkedIn was also mentioned as the most important social media platform for B2B marketers.
Billions of users, countless touchpoints
A global survey conducted in the second quarter of 2025 revealed that half of internet users rely on social media for contacting with friends and family. Nearly two in five use it in their spare time, making it clear that social media is a key part of most internet users' routines. Facebook remained the most-used social media platform as of October 2025, with about 3.07 billion monthly active users (MAUs). Instagram and YouTube followed with roughly three billion and over 2.5 billion MAUs, respectively. All three platforms lean heavily on video content, demonstrating the popularity of the video format within the social media segment. Meanwhile, influencer and celebrity advertising continues to drive purchasing decisions across dozens of markets worldwide, and a significant share of internet users turn to social media for brand research before making purchases.
What the numbers signal for marketers
With global social media users projected to approach 5.75 billion in 2026, the audience pool keeps expanding. The convergence of AI-powered ad tools, rising ad impressions, and platform competition suggests that social media's share of marketing budgets will only deepen in the years ahead.
