PUBLISHER: The Business Research Company | PRODUCT CODE: 1811128
PUBLISHER: The Business Research Company | PRODUCT CODE: 1811128
Social media platforms are online digital spaces or websites that enable users to create, share, and interact with content socially and interactively. These platforms provide tools and features that facilitate the creation and exchange of user-generated content, fostering communication and engagement among individuals, communities, and organizations.
The main types of social media platforms are social networking, photo sharing, video sharing, interactive media, and blogging or community building. Social networking refers to the practice of individuals or groups connecting and interacting with each other through online platforms, websites, or applications, they are used in retail and e-commerce, automotive, healthcare and pharmaceutical, media and entertainment, travel and tourism, and government, and used for personal, small and medium-sized enterprises, and large enterprises.
Note that the outlook for this market is being affected by rapid changes in trade relations and tariffs globally. The report will be updated prior to delivery to reflect the latest status, including revised forecasts and quantified impact analysis. The report's Recommendations and Conclusions sections will be updated to give strategies for entities dealing with the fast-moving international environment.
The rapid surge in U.S. tariffs and the resulting trade tensions in spring 2025 are heavily affecting the media sector, particularly in areas such as content creation, broadcasting, and digital streaming. Increased tariffs on imported audiovisual gear, editing tools, and broadcasting technologies have driven up both production and operational costs for media companies. Film and TV studios are incurring higher expenses for sourcing foreign-made cameras, lighting, and post-production equipment, while news and broadcast outlets are facing steeper costs for satellite services and transmission hardware. Additionally, retaliatory tariffs imposed by other countries are hindering the export of U.S.-based media content, curbing international revenue growth. To navigate these challenges, media firms are increasingly sourcing domestically, accelerating digital transformation, and adopting AI-powered production tools to reduce costs and sustain their global competitiveness amid ongoing trade disruptions.
The main types of social media platforms are social networking, photo sharing, video sharing, interactive media, and blogging or community building. Social networking refers to the practice of individuals or groups connecting and interacting with each other through online platforms, websites, or applications, they are used in retail and e-commerce, automotive, healthcare and pharmaceutical, media and entertainment, travel and tourism, and government, and used for personal, small and medium-sized enterprises, and large enterprises.
The social media platforms market size has grown exponentially in recent years. It will grow from $746.5 billion in 2024 to $1002.28 billion in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 34.3%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to rapid internet adoption, mobile revolution, social networking and connectivity, adoption of business pages, and content discovery algorithms.
The social media platforms market size is expected to see exponential growth in the next few years. It will grow to $3288.74 billion in 2029 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 34.6%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to ai-driven personalization, video dominance, niche communities and micro-influencers, privacy-centric features. Major trends in the forecast period include metaverse exploration, social activism and corporate social responsibility, remote work and professional networking, authenticity and user-generated content, virtual events and experiences.
The forecast of 34.6% growth over the next five years reflects a slight reduction of 0.2% from the previous projection. This reduction is primarily due to the impact of tariffs between the US and other countries. Disruptions in global hardware supply chains due to tariffs-especially those impacting servers and GPUs-could hinder platform scalability, affecting uptime and content recommendation accuracy. The effect will also be felt more widely due to reciprocal tariffs and the negative effect on the global economy and trade due to increased trade tensions and restrictions.
Increasing internet penetration is expected to propel the growth of the Social media platforms market moving forward. Internet penetration refers to the percentage of the population of a specific geographic area, such as a country or region that has access to the Internet. Increasing internet penetration enhances access to information, education, and economic opportunities, fostering global connectivity and digital inclusion. The increasing internet penetration can be attributed to several factors such as affordability, e-commerce development, and social media influence. Internet penetration is directly linked to the growth and expansion of social media platforms, as greater connectivity facilitates wider access to these digital networks, driving user engagement, and fostering market expansion. For instance, in 2023, according to Meltwater, a US-based software as a service (SaaS) solution and the world's first online media monitoring company states that the median age of the United Kingdom's population is 40.0. Total internet users in the UK were 66.11 million, analysis indicates that internet users in the UK increased by 224 thousand (+0.3 percent) between 2022 and 2023. Therefore, the increasing internet penetration is driving the growth of the social media platforms market.
Major companies operating in the social media platform market are focusing on technologies such as Threads App to meet the growing demand for social media platforms. The app allows users to share text updates, photos, and videos with their Instagram followers. For instance, in July 2023, Meta a US-based social technology company, launched the Threads App built by the Instagram team, for sharing text updates and joining public conversations. Threads is closely tied to Instagram, and users need an Instagram account to join. The app is available for iOS and Android, and it is designed to provide a Twitter-like experience with easy links to Instagram. Users can share Threads posts to their Instagram Story and Feed, as well as to other platforms.
In October 2024, Sprout Social, a US-based provider of social media management software, entered into a partnership with Salesforce to integrate its social data capabilities directly within Salesforce's CRM platform. This integration enables businesses to harness social media insights alongside traditional CRM data, creating a more complete view of customer interactions. By combining social data with CRM, companies can enhance their marketing, sales, and customer support workflows, ultimately leading to improved customer engagement and more personalized service. Salesforce, known for its comprehensive CRM and cloud-based solutions, benefits from Sprout Social's social media expertise, reinforcing its commitment to providing robust, data-driven customer relationship tools.
Major companies operating in the social media platforms market are LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter, Youtube, Reddit, Snap Inc., Meta Platforms, Douyin, Tencent, TikTok, Sina, line corporation, Tagged Inc., Tumblr Inc., Ask.fm, Classmates, Facebook Inc., Flickr, Google+, Meetup, MeetMe Inc., Viber Media S.a r.l., Mix.com Inc., Classmates Online Inc., Mastodon Social Inc., Sina Corporation, Parler LLC
Asia-Pacific was the largest region in the social media platforms market in 2024. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in the social media platforms market report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa.
The countries covered in the social media platforms market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.
The social media platforms market consists of revenues earned by entities by providing services such as profile creation and management, content sharing, connectivity and networking, and live streaming. The market value includes the value of related goods sold by the service provider or included within the service offering. The social media platforms market also includes sales of advertising products, analytics tools, content creation and editing tools, privacy and security features, APIs, and developer tools. Values in this market are 'factory gate' values, that is the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.
The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD, unless otherwise specified).
The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.
Social Media Platforms Global Market Report 2025 from The Business Research Company provides strategists, marketers and senior management with the critical information they need to assess the market.
This report focuses on social media platforms market which is experiencing strong growth. The report gives a guide to the trends which will be shaping the market over the next ten years and beyond.
Where is the largest and fastest growing market for social media platforms ? How does the market relate to the overall economy, demography and other similar markets? What forces will shape the market going forward, including technological disruption, regulatory shifts, and changing consumer preferences? The social media platforms market global report from the Business Research Company answers all these questions and many more.
The report covers market characteristics, size and growth, segmentation, regional and country breakdowns, competitive landscape, market shares, trends and strategies for this market. It traces the market's historic and forecast market growth by geography.
The forecasts are made after considering the major factors currently impacting the market. These include the technological advancements such as AI and automation, Russia-Ukraine war, trade tariffs (government-imposed import/export duties), elevated inflation and interest rates.