GlobalWebIndex: Social media commands online time

Some 30% of online time is accounted for by social media use, according to a new report by analytics firm GlobalWebIndex.

Looking at trends over the five years period of 2012-2016, GWI ascertained that not only are digital consumers spending two hours per day on social networks and messaging services (a comparative rise of 15 minutes) but that their network membership has more than doubled.

In fact, 86% of online adults worldwide now have an account with at least one of Facebook's four main services (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger); the number of social media accounts controlled by the average digital consumer has risen from 3 to nearly 7.

While Facebook was named the top service globally in terms of membership (82%), the viewership of Google-owned YouTube stands at 85%; Snapchat's popularity among teens continues to be "considerable."

India, Indonesia, Thailand, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, Mexico and Malaysia are among the countries with the highest average number of social media accounts per person, with Japan the lowest according to the GWI Social report for Q2 2016.