Q1 2019 Social Trends

Will Facebook Become a New WeChat, and What Exactly Is TikTok?

Report by Jasmine Enberg | Apr 17, 2019

Report Deck Charts

Executive Summary

This is the first installment in an ongoing series of quarterly social media reports. The goal of each report is to provide a summary of key recent developments. For Q1 2019, we look at Facebook’s shift in strategy and the rise of short-video app TikTok.

How is social network advertising doing?

We have raised our forecast for worldwide Facebook and Twitter ad spending after strong 2018 performance that exceeded our expectations. Most of Facebook’s growth will be driven by Instagram. Meanwhile, we have lowered our forecast for Snapchat, which continues to suffer price erosion from its switch to programmatic.

How many social network users are there?

We have updated our forecast for US and UK social network users, including a significant reduction in our estimate for the number of monthly Snapchat users in both countries.

Why did Facebook announce a new, privacy-focused vision?

Facebook said that it would shift its focus from public to private sharing. Its plan is to build a privacy-focused platform with additional functionalities, like shopping and payments—and that could impact how it monetizes. In-app checkout on Instagram may be a glimpse of what’s to come.

Why did Snapchat launch a new gaming platform?

News reports in March said Snapchat would unveil an in-app gaming platform. In April, it did just that. The new platform may help bring in additional revenues and combat slowing growth among its core audience.

Why did Twitter change how it reports the size of its user base?

Twitter will stop reporting monthly active users (MAUs) and share only monetizable daily active users (mDAUs). The move comes after several quarters of MAU declines. The good news is that Twitter continues to squeeze revenues out of its existing users.

WHAT’S IN THIS REPORT? This report covers key events in the global social media market, as well as new data, trends and business activity in Q1 2019. It also includes updated forecasts for UK and US social media users and social network ad spending worldwide.

Here’s what’s in the full report

4files

Exportable files for easy reading, analysis and sharing.

33charts

Reliable data in simple displays for presentations and quick decision making.

1expert perspective

Insights from industry and company leaders.

Table of Contents

Executive Summary
The State of Social Media: What Happened in Q1 2019?
Monetization

Audience
Measurement
eMarketer Interviews

Sources
Media Gallery

Charts in This Report

Average Ad Revenue per User (AARPU) Worldwide, by Platform, 2019-2021 WeChat Users in China, 2018-2022 (millions, % change and % of smartphone users)

What Types of Miniprograms* Do WeChat Users in China Use? (% of respondents, Q1 2019)Mobile Payment Transaction Value Share in China, by Service Provider, Q3 2018 (% of total)

How Much Do US Internet Users Trust Select Companies With Their Personal Data*? (% of respondents, Oct 2018)App Downloads Worldwide Among Select Social Media Platforms, 2018 (millions)

Social Network Users Worldwide, by Platform, 2019 (millions)Average Monthly Time Spent per UK Internet User on Social Media and Messaging Apps, by Platform, Dec 2018 (minutes)

Short-Form Video Platform Marketing Revenues* in China, 2016-2020 (billions of Chinese yuan renminbi and % change)TikTok Revenues from In-App Purchases Worldwide, Dec 2017 & Dec 2018 (millions and % change)

On Which Platforms Will US Digital Media Professionals Increase Ad Spending in 2019? (% of respondents, Dec 2018)Facebook Ad Revenues Worldwide, US vs. Non-US, 2018-2021 (billions and % of total)

Are the Clients of US Senior Ad Buyers Planning to Advertise on Facebook Messenger Again in 2019? (% of respondents)Instagram Net Ad Revenues Worldwide, 2018-2021 (billions, % change and % of total digital ad spending)

Instagram Ad Revenues Worldwide, US vs. Non-US, 2018-2021 (billions and % of total)Instagram Ad Budget Allocated to Newsfeed vs. Stories According to US Senior Ad Buyers, 2018 (% of total)

Social Media Activities Performed by US Social Media Users, by Platform, Feb 2019 (% of respondents)Snapchat Net Ad Revenues Worldwide, 2018-2021 (billions, % change and % of total digital ad spending)

US Snapchat Net Ad Revenues, 2018-2021 (billions, % change and % of total digital ad spending)Average CPMs for Select Social Networks Worldwide, Q4 2018 (among impressions analyzed by 4C)

US Internet Users Who Subscribe to Streaming Music vs. Gaming Services, by Generation, Feb 2019 (% of respondents in each group)UK Snapchat Ad Revenues, 2017-2021 (millions, % change and % of total worldwide Snapchat ad revenues)

Twitter Net Ad Revenues Worldwide, 2018-2021 (billions, % change and % of total digital ad spending)Twitter Ad Revenues Worldwide, US vs. Non-US, 2018-2021 (billions and % of total)

US Twitter Video Ad Revenues, 2017-2021 (millions, % change and % of total Twitter ad revenues)Allocation of Digital Video Ad Spending According to US Senior Ad Buyers, by Channel, 2018-2020 (% of total)

US Social Network Video Ad Revenue Share, by Company, 2019 & 2020 (% of total social network video ad revenues)US Facebook Users, by Age, 2018-2023 (millions and % change)

Facebook Users in the UK vs. US, 2018-2023 (millions and % of internet users)US Instagram Users, 2018-2023 (millions, % change and % of social network users)

UK Instagram Users, 2018-2023 (millions, % change and % of social network users)Snapchat Users in the UK vs. US, 2018-2023 (millions and % change)

US Twitter Users, 2018-2023 (millions, % change and % of social network users)

authors

Jasmine Enberg

Contributors

Natalie McGranahan: Senior Researcher and Taxonomy Manager

Monica Peart: Senior Director, Forecasting

Debra Aho Williamson: Principal Analyst