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While people these days have constant and unlimited access to a variety of online platforms, only a few can be considered the most popular social media websites. Digital platforms have changed the way we live — they entertain, keep us connected with friends and family, and provide the latest updates from all over the world.
Here's a round-up of the five social media websites that are expected to be widely used in 2024. Around 61% of this world's total population uses at least one of the following applications for a variety of purposes, from communicating to learning.
Note: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's opinions.
TikTok, WeChat, and 3 other most popular social media websites in 2024
1) TikTok
Despite being restricted or fully banned in various countries, TikTok is still one of the most popular social media websites out there, with 1.2 billion monthly active users. If we consider users of Douyin, the Chinese counterpart of this platform, that number is nearly two billion.
TikTok allows users to publish videos that are up to 10 minutes long. Initially, though, users were able to post videos only up to 15 seconds. The platform is filled with entertaining and trendy content. Moreover, TikTok has a community for almost everything; however, the Gen Z audience contributes to 38.5% of its total user base.
2) WeChat
Tencent launched WeChat, currently one of the most popular social media websites, in 2011 as a messaging app. It has lately evolved into a multi-functional platform that offers a wide range of features. This includes the ability to exchange text messages, make voice and video calls, engage in online shopping, complete bill payments, book reservations, etc.
Dubbed as a "super-app," WeChat currently has around 1.3 billion active monthly users. This platform is China’s alternative to Facebook. It has a feature known as Moments that allows users to add others on the platform as friends, see their updates, as well as like and comment on their posts, just like Zuckerberg's creation.
3) Instagram
Instagram has emerged as one of the largest and most engaging social media websites. It has two billion monthly active users and the highest engagement rate among all social media platforms. According to HubSpot, its engagement rate is 23% higher than Facebook's despite having fewer active users.
Instagram is known for the dedicated story section at the top, where you can see the latest updates from everyone you follow. It boasts attractive filter options for images and reels as well as a live video feature. Instagram also receives regular updates, which keeps the user experience fresh and makes it one of the most popular social media websites around.
4) YouTube
YouTube is presently the world's second-most-viewed website after Google. It has a massive 2.4 billion active monthly users. Over five hundred hours of content are uploaded to YouTube every minute, which gets more than one billion hours of watch time daily.
YT also offers a Partner Program that allows content creators to monetize their content via ads, channel memberships, or super chat. The availability of videos on various topics in multiple languages makes YouTube one of the most popular social media websites ever. This platform alone contributes to 25% of the mobile internet traffic globally.
5) Facebook
Facebook is a site where you can react or comment on people's posts, create a group or community sharing the same interests, or even showcase your talent by creating quality content. This platform also offers a gaming tab where you can play various titles directly on Facebook and compete with your friends online. With three billion people using it every month, this site is mega popular.
Conclusion
These were five of the most popular social media websites that are expected to be widely used in 2024. They demonstrate the power of social connection, entertainment, and information sharing in the modern world.
