Daniel Slotta
Research expert covering Greater China
User-generated content - statistics & facts
In the ever-evolving landscape of social media and user-generated content, 2024 has witnessed remarkable shifts in user behavior. From a surge in Instagram Story usage to TikTok's increase in video lengths, the digital realm is experiencing new levels of engagement.
Engagement metrics also reflect TikTok's expanding influence, with the average number of comments per video increasing from 15.65 in 2023 to 19 in 2024, alongside a moderate increase in likes. However, the platform has also seen a slight decrease in sharing activity.
Despite these promising figures, content creators face various obstacles in their monetization efforts. A global study of marketers in 2025 revealed that the primary challenge in monetizing content was the difficulty of driving traffic to the TikTok Shop, with 58 percent of respondents citing this as a major hurdle.
Access to creating professional-looking pictures, innovative ideas, and increased video length appear to be influential for users and are a way to boost engagement. Understanding the motivations behind user-generated content becomes increasingly important as social media platforms battle for users’ attention.
Instagram users like telling stories
Meta-owned Instagram has seen a large increase in certain aspects of user activity. In 2024, the Instagram Story format emerged as the most popular, with huge accounts (accounts with over 50,000 followers) posting an average of 46 Stories per week. Big and Medium accounts also showed substantial engagement, averaging 30.4 and 19.3 Stories weekly, respectively. The frequency of posts on Instagram also increased, with accounts having more than 50,000 followers posting an average of 9.3 times per week in 2024, up from 6.5 times in 2023. Similarly, big accounts (10,000 to 50,000 followers) increased their posting frequency from 3.1 times weekly in 2023 to 5.1 in 2024.TikTok's content creation
Content creation on TikTok continues to develop, as shown by recent trends in user behavior and engagement. Personal accounts on the platform posted an average of nearly 17 videos per month, outpacing business accounts, which average around 14 posts per month. This high level of activity is complemented by increasing video lengths. The average TikTok video duration rose from 39 seconds in 2023 to 42.7 seconds in 2024.Engagement metrics also reflect TikTok's expanding influence, with the average number of comments per video increasing from 15.65 in 2023 to 19 in 2024, alongside a moderate increase in likes. However, the platform has also seen a slight decrease in sharing activity.
The serious business of selfies
When it comes to photo and editing apps, there are clear favorites. In November 2024, photo editor app Canva generated over 1.16 million downloads among users in the United States. AI photo editors Remini and Picsart were also popular choices for those looking for a professional finish on their photos and selfies. Unsurprisingly, Canva generated the most in-app revenue, followed by Facetune, which is an app known for its popular Instagram selfie filters.What monetization challenges do creators face?
In the United States, content creators are projected to generate approximately 8.14 billion U.S. dollars in revenue from sponsored content. While sponsored content leads as a monetization method, platform payouts are expected to be the second most lucrative approach, potentially reaching 3.23 billion U.S. dollars.Despite these promising figures, content creators face various obstacles in their monetization efforts. A global study of marketers in 2025 revealed that the primary challenge in monetizing content was the difficulty of driving traffic to the TikTok Shop, with 58 percent of respondents citing this as a major hurdle.
Access to creating professional-looking pictures, innovative ideas, and increased video length appear to be influential for users and are a way to boost engagement. Understanding the motivations behind user-generated content becomes increasingly important as social media platforms battle for users’ attention.
