How Many Social Media Platforms Are There In 2024?

Every day, people spend hours on their phones, exploring social media platforms to check on people they like, talk with friends, and even shop for needed products. You might ask yourself, ‘How many social media platforms are there?’ What platforms do most people use? We are here to answer these questions. 

You can have successful online marketing by finding the best platforms where your target audience is active. In this article, we will check some of the most popular social media sites together and discuss which platform is the best for your business. 

How Many Social Media Platforms Are There? Top 10 Choices

While online platforms are increasing daily, some apps and websites are still top choices among users. Here are some of the best social media platforms in 2024. 

1. Facebook

Even though its name officially changed to ‘Meta’ after the company’s rebrand in 2021, we still call it Facebook. Facebook is one of the biggest social media platforms owned by Meta platforms. It was founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and four other Harvard College students. 

In 2023, Facebook had over 3.03B visitors in a month and appeared at the top of the list of social media platforms. This platform allows creators to share visual and text content and is perfect for businesses that want to communicate with their customers. Also, with over 3 billion monthly users, brands can use Facebook marketing to grow their audience. 

According to a study by Insider Intelligence, over 65% of U.S. social commerce buyers use Facebook daily. Also, this platform provides deep insights and analytics through the Meta Insights tool and Meta Ads Manager. Using this tool, you can track post engagements, reach, ad click-through rates, and conversion rates. 

2.YouTube

Undoubtedly, YouTube is one of the top social media platforms for sharing video content and hosting live streams. YouTube was founded by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim in 2005 and soon became a favorite among users. This platform is now the second most used website in the world, after the Google search. 

In October 2006, Google bought YouTube for $1.65 billion and added new features such as YouTube Premium to increase its revenue. 

Regardless of your service, YouTube is one of the best platforms to promote your business. You can also try YouTube influencer marketing and work with your niche content creators to increase your customers and boost brand awareness. 

3. WhatsApp

The next platform is slightly different since you can only share content with your contacts. WhatsApp is an instant messaging platform owned by Meta that was released in 2009. Using WhatsApp, you can send text, voice messages, and video messages, make voice and video calls, and share images, documents, user locations, 

In 2015, the voice call option was added to this app, and in 2016, they launched the video call feature. In 2017, a new status feature similar to Instagram and Snapchat stories was added to WhatsApp, which allows you to share texts. T

WhatsApp is one of the popular social media platforms that many people use daily for messaging each other. Businesses can use this service to communicate with their customers and have their support team there. 

4. Instagram

One of the most popular social media platforms for sharing visual content is Instagram. Instagram was launched in 2010 as a photo-sharing platform and is now owned by Meta. This platform is adding new features and tools such as Instagram carousels, reel videos, Instagram Live, and more to help users have a better experience. 

There are currently 1.4B active users on Instagram, which makes it one of the most popular social media platforms for businesses. Especially with professional tools such as Instagram Shop and links on stories, brands can use this platform to drive more traffic to their website. 

For fashion, food, travel, beauty, and home decor businesses, Instagram is the best option to showcase your products due to its visual base. However, all industries can benefit from Instagram as one of the biggest social media platforms and use advertisement, paid partnerships, and professional tools to increase their audience. 

5. WeChat

Many of you might need to become more familiar with the app, but it’s really popular in China. WeChat (or Weixin in Chinese), developed by Tencent, is one of the Chinese social media sites with over 1B active users. This app is not just for chatting with your contacts (like WhatsApp); you can create public accounts and share photos and videos with all users. 

If your target market includes China and you want to sell there, creating a public account on WeChat is a good choice. But if that’s different from your target market, we recommend creating content for other top social media platforms in this list. 

6. TikTok

Now is the time for one of the biggest social media platforms, which is really popular among Gen Z and teenagers. TikTok is a video-sharing platform owned by ByteDance that was launched in 2016. Soon after its launch, this platform gained global popularity, and people started sharing dance videos and challenges. 

Today, TikTok has over 1B active monthly users and is one of the top social media platforms for business marketing. However, this platform might not be the first choice for many businesses. Around 40% of TikTok users are under age 24. If this age range covers your target audience, you can use TikTok marketing strategies.

Other than this, brands who like to sell products make sure you can create high-quality videos of your items, and they look good on video. 

7. LinkedIn

Almost everyone who looks for a job checks LinkedIn first. LinkedIn is a business and employment-focused social media platform that is available on the website and mobile app. It allows jobseekers to post their CVs and find related job offers. One thing is obvious about LinkedIn, which is one of the best social media sites: People don’t use it for fun. 

This platform provides a network of professionals across different niches and is one of the best ways to connect with potential clients. Also, if you are looking for successful partnerships and collaborations, you can always check LinkedIn influencers. They can help you find and connect with the best in your industry. 

8. Twitch 

If you ask video game lovers ‘how many social media platforms are there,’ they will probably start with Twitch. Twitch is an American video live-streaming platform that is a subsidiary of Amazon and was launched in 2011. 

This platform is designed for live-streaming and gaming-related talk shows. Businesses in related niches can use this to collaborate with Twitch streamers to advertise their products. 

9. Snapchat 

Everyone will immediately think about Snapchat when it comes to having a safe and secure conversation online. Snapchat is an American instant messaging service developed by Snap that was released in 2011. As one of the biggest social media platforms, Snapchat is famous for messages that disappear once you see them. 

But what businesses should invest in growing their audience on Snapchat? Just like TikTok, the majority of people who use Snapchat are teenagers. According to data from Snapchat, around 75% of its users include millennials and Gen Z. If this range includes your target audience, you can start using Snapchat for business. 

How To Grow Your Business On Social Media Platforms?

Up to here, we answered ‘how many social media platforms are there’ and reviewed some of the most popular platforms. Businesses can be active on these platforms to communicate with their audience, grow brand awareness, and increase their sales.

But many brands and businesses, especially the new ones, don’t have enough time and budget to spend on managing their social media accounts. Collaborating with influencers is one proven strategy between brands over the past years to grow their audience. 

No matter which of the top social media platforms you try, there are many content creators and social media influencers in your niche to work with. But how to find and reach out to them? Ainfluencer is your solution. 

The Best Way To Work With Influencers – Ainfluencer

Ainfluencer is a free and end-to-end influencer marketing platform that connects brands with social media influencers across Instagram and TikTok. Most people check their Instagram and TikTok pages daily, making them a perfect platform for brand advertising.

Ainfluencer focuses on these two major platforms and, with a community of more than 500,000 influencers, makes sure you find your best collaboration match. With the help of an AI-powered search engine, you can discover influencers based on more than 20 filters, such as age, gender, location, niche, follower count, budget, etc. 

After finding creators, you can check their profiles to view their past collaborations, ask them for their latest insights and analytics, and chat with them. The Ainfluencer’s trust escrow system keeps your money safe until the partnership is done. So if you are ready to grow your business, sign up on Ainfluencer for free now. 

Conclusion

Social media has become an important part of modern-day life. With the increasing number of users, it is becoming a perfect platform for businesses to promote their brands and grow their audience. In this article, we answered the question, ‘How many social media platforms are there?’ and introduced you to some top ones for growing your brand. 

FAQs