Social media stats you should know

When we think about gathering evidence, the first things that come to mind are often of a physical nature. But the internet and the activity that takes place there can serve as a virtual treasure trove of information. According to a recent report (1), adult internet users spend an average of 6 hours and 38 minutes online every day, with 2.5 hours of that time being spent on social media (2).

Social media is particularly valuable for fraud and claims investigations because it serves as a window into the life of your subject, both before and after an incident occurs. With that in mind, we’ve gathered some of the most recent statistics on social media usage to give you a clearer picture of the amount and type of information available on social media.

Here are some of the top social media stats you should know:

There are 239 million social media users in the United States. (3)

Millennials are the most active generation on social media, with nearly 70% of millennials using some form of social media. (4)

Gen Z users who identify as female spend the most time on social media, with an average of 3 hours per day. (4)

YouTube, Facebook and Instagram are the most popular social media platforms in the U.S. (4)

Almost 74% of U.S. adults under the age of 30 use at least 5 social media platforms. (6)

The U.S. has the greatest number of users on X (formally known as Twitter) compared to other countries, with 106.2 million people. (7)

Males outnumber females on every social media platform and X has the highest number of male users overall. (8)

Approximately 1.3 billion photos are shared to Instagram on a daily basis. (5)

2.45 billion pieces of content are shared on Facebook every day. (9)

The amount of information available on social media can be overwhelming. If you don’t know where to begin on social media investigations, Social e-Profiler is a fantastic tool to summarize your subject’s online footprint and determine if a full Social Canvass is necessary or valuable to your case. Learn more about our full range of social media investigation tools here.

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