Generation Y (or Gen Y), more commonly referred to as millennials were the first generation to adopt social media as a primary form of communication, so it’s no surprise that it became important to both their personal and professional lives.
Let’s dive into some less-known data and statistics about social media and its influence on millennials.
Top Statistics About Millennials And Social Media: Editor’s Choice
How Many Millennials Use Social Media?
The 2019 survey conducted by Pew Research Center reported that 86% of millennials in the US use social media. In the past, millennials adopted social media early which is why they are considered the most common users.
1. According to the latest millennials and social media stats, 79% of millennials in the US use social media multiple times a day.
People’s interests drive social media habits, but their age, needs, and expectations can also play an essential role in making these habits. The time spent on social media differs by age. For example, millennials spend more time across different platforms, while Generation Zers focus more on using the networks where their community engages the most.
2. In January 2021, 33.1% of Instagram users in the US were millennials.
A closer look at the demographics of Instagram users reveals that millennials are the largest age group of all Instagram users. Instagram is one of the most popular social media networks worldwide. For many young people, Instagram is one of the easiest ways to get the latest news, similarly to picking up a daily newspaper—as it once was to previous generations.
3. According to social media usage statistics by age, 87% of US millennials use Facebook at least once a week.
For a long time, Facebook was the king of social media success, but times are changing. Nowadays, baby boomers and Gen Xers report using Facebook more frequently because younger generations prefer more image-based content (such as Snapchat or Instagram).
4. Out of 4,000 Adobe consumers, 19% think that millennials are most easily influenced by online content.
Millennials generation statistics indicate that all generations are concerned about being influenced online. According to Adobe’s Voice of Generation survey, each generation reported their age group as the most easily influenced or misled online. However, all groups think that Gen Z is most likely to be manipulated by online content, followed by millennials.
5. According to YPulse’s millennial social media statistics, 43% of millennials spend more time watching video content during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced social media usage and made it a primary source of entertainment. Millennials spent more time playing games, checking news feeds, messaging and video chatting with friends to stay connected.
6. The latest data from Oberlo indicates that the most popular social media for millennials in the US is Facebook, with almost 80% active millennials.
Although every generation uses Facebook to some extent, millennials are still using Facebook daily to search for information, create posts, and make comments. This is why so many brands are targeting millennials and finding ways to stay connected with them as part of their sales strategy.
7. The most recent social media users statistics for 2021 reveal that millennials make up about 25% of LinkedIn users.
It’s a common misconception that LinkedIn is exclusively tailored for an older audience and it may come as a surprise that millennials make up about one-fourth of the platform. According to Carat Research, there are four types of millennials on LinkedIn—Trendnetters, Alter-natives, LYFpreneurs, and Betablazers.
8. The latest millennials on social media statistics report that millennials spend an average of 12 seconds paying attention to a piece of content.
This short attention span means that creators need to develop attention-grabbing content across platforms in order to effectively target this age group.
Millennials’ social media usage implies that, on average, this generation moves back and forth between three screens simultaneously, so television commercials can be a poor marketing strategy for reaching this audience.
9. Millennials and Zoomers are the most active on Reddit, as 36% of users are 18–29.
At 22%, older Millennials and Generation X—aged 30–49—are the second biggest user group on the platform. Reddit figures indicate a downward trend in usage and engagement the older the user group is, as only 10% are 50–64 and 3% are over 65.
How to Market to Millennials?
Marketing to millennials is all about cultivating relationships and building trust on their terms and through their channels. According to the recent millennials’ social media usage data, this generation prefers content created only for them—with their best interests in mind. Therefore, brands need to create engaging, inspiring, and informative content at the same time.
10. 57% of millennials find fashion trends on social media.
According to the latest social media advertising statistics, millennials dominate the social media world—they make the most online purchases and are a driving force in the ever-increasing growth of online shopping. Moreover, online advertising and the people millennials follow on Facebook or Instagram greatly impact this group’s purchasing.
11. According to recent data on the impact of social media on millennials, 66.4% of millennials said that social media improved their life satisfaction.
Social media brings people together and allows them to keep in touch with their friends. However, these platforms can also negatively affect an individual’s self-esteem, mood, and overall mental health. However, 70.4% of Americans think that social media improves their life satisfaction.
12. 72% of millennials buy fashion and beauty products based on Instagram posts.
Millennials’ social media behavior is referred to as a form of compensatory consumption — a coping mechanism for dealing with major life concerns. They trust their peers and celebrity influencers more, but find it hard to trust traditional advertising and big brands. This is so because millennials are accustomed to live online, and don’t want to feel like they are being advertised to.
13. The latest millennials and social media stats indicate that 70% of millennials trust brands that post videos about their products.
Video is one of the most powerful types of online content out there. As a matter of fact, there are four kinds of videos that brands make—explainer videos, company story videos, product videos, and testimonial videos.
14. The latest available millennial consumer statistics reveal that millennials are spending $200 billion per year.
Millennials are the largest demographic group on the market right now, with the potential to have an enormous impact on the economy in the coming years. This generation will probably be the driving force of the US economy, increased productivity, and advanced innovation.
15. The latest millennial market research shows that a brand’s social media presence impacts 75% of millennials’ purchasing.
Millennials often follow brands online with the primary purpose of seeking information and being entertained. This age group almost always uses social media to communicate with a brand, rather than call or email.
16. 82% of millennials purchase an item the first time they see it if they like it enough.
Recent statistics about millennials and social media reveal that this age group makes the most impulse purchases since they’re highly influenced by social media. The majority of millennials make impulse purchases because they just got paid. However, they are more likely to express regret or dissatisfaction following an impulse purchase, compared to older generations.
Social Media and Milennials: Statistics Worldwide
Social media addiction isn’t exclusive only to millennials in the US but also to millennials from other countries worldwide. This age group is usually the one that complains about social media killing their valuable time, but they are also the ones that are constantly plugged in. Here you’ll find the most remarkable facts about millennial social media usage worldwide.
17. Millennials account for 33% of all online purchases in Canada.
Millennials show a greater tendency toward online shopping than any other generation. This includes both online shopping with home delivery and pick-up at a designated location. Recent millennials’ social media statistics reveal that most of them are hyper shoppers — they spend a lot of time on their mobile searching for products, product reviews, and user feedback.
18. According to global millennials and social media usage statistics, the typical millennial internet user owns 9.3 social media accounts on average.
Millennials like to jump around from platform to platform because multi-networking is quite common for this generation. Compared to the global average, millennials have one social account more.
19. Three in ten millennials in the world use social media accounts to discover products to buy.
A high percentage of millennials on social media use their accounts for purchase inspiration. However, more and more other internet users are adopting this habit too—purchase on social media is undoubtedly on the rise.
20. According to Roy Morgan’s 2020 survey, 61% of millennials in Australia have an Instagram account.
This survey also revealed that other top social media sites for millennials in Australia were Facebook and YouTube. In recent years, most Australians have expressed concern regarding internet addiction and announced a reduction in social media usage. However, millennials are amongst those who may still haven’t found a good reason to disconnect.
21. The latest BCG millennials and social media statistics indicate that 62% of millennials have spent more time on social media during the pandemic.
In 2020, Boston Consulting Group conducted a survey across the US, Canada, the UK, and France focusing on how consumers spend their time during the Covid-19 pandemic. Millennials and Gen Z reported similar responses, mainly because these two generations are the most adventurous and least settled in their ways.
Statistics About Millennials and Social Media: The Takeaway
When looking at recent statistics about millennials and social media, we can notice that this age group heavily depends on social media. They are spending most of their lives online so it’s no wonder that most marketers are looking for engaging ways to target this audience.
Advertising and promoting to millennials can be a bit tempting because brands need to learn how millennials are using social media and get more familiar with this generation. For this reason, we’ve compiled the above statistics to help you learn about this demographic so that you can improve your marketing efforts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What social media do millennials use?
Nowadays, people have multiple social media accounts. Their age often influences the activity on those networks. The most popular social media platforms among millennials are Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Twitter, and Pinterest.
Millennials use different platforms for various reasons, such as staying in touch with friends and family, searching for recommendations, information, ideas or inspiration, entertainment, and expanding professional networks.
How many millennials use Facebook?
The 2020 Consumer Culture Report suggests that Facebook remains the most popular social media platform across the United States and between all age groups. However, there are still differences between generations—it’s undeniable that the millennial generation are still the most prominent Facebook users.
According to the Consumers Culture Report, millennials were the largest generation group in the US in 2019, with an estimated population of 72.1 million. The report further indicates that nearly 77% of the total US millennial population uses Facebook daily.
What percent of millennials use social media?
According to the latest data, 86% of millennials use social media daily. In fact, millennials are the first generation that is highly influenced by social media, so it’s no surprise that social media networks have become an essential part of millennials’ digital lives.
Millennials are using social media platforms in order to stay up-to-date with the latest news and current events, to fill up their spare time, to keep in touch with friends, or to look for recommendations before making a purchase.
How much time do millennials spend on social media?
Generation Y spends plenty of time on social media networks. This is one way to keep themselves entertained. GWI conducted a study in Q3, 2020 focusing on the digital behaviors of millennials worldwide. The global survey was distributed to more than 66,000 Internet users, aged 24–37 and revealed that millennials spend an average of 2:34 hours each day on social media.
Do millennials use social media the most?
Social media presence is the most common thing in this age group, whether for entertainment, purchasing, or career. Compared to other generations, millennials are the most active on digital platforms.
GWI 2020 study reported that generation Y spent more time each day on social media than the average Internet user. A closer look revealed that millennials spend around ten minutes more than the average Internet user spent on social media platforms daily.
What do millennials spend the most money on?
Many people think that millennials are the biggest consumers of modern society. This age group is more likely to let online ads, Instagram or YouTube influencers, celebrities, articles or blogs, or even podcast sponsors influence their purchasing decisions compared to other generations.
According to the latest statistics about millennials and social media, this generation spends their time mostly on convenience, online shopping, social impact, debt payments, food away from home, experiences and travel, and streaming services.
Sources
Adobe, BCG, Business Matters, Digital Marketing Community, Flagship Social, Forbes, Marketing Charts, Merkle, PostBeyond, Roy Morgan, Security.org, Statista, Statista, Sprout Social, The Manifest, WPManageNinja, YPulse, 5W Public Relations
