This report reviews our final 2020 numbers and new 2021 forecast for US time spent with media, highlighting pre- and post-pandemic estimates and expectations. Special attention is paid to TV, connected TV, OTT, digital audio, and social media.

Almost 84% of internet users said they’d visited a social media site or app in the preceding month. In this newly revised data category, GWI now also includes respondents who used at least one of 20 named messaging platforms. This year, 93.6% had done so in the month prior. As in previous years, time spent with social media in South Korea was notably low compared with other countries, at 1:12 per day.

Time spent with social media was also up marginally, to 3:34 per day on average. About 16% of internet users polled in South Africa had used a voice assistant or smart speaker in the week prior to find information. Almost as many had used a voice command to carry out an action, such as accessing music online. Usage was greatest among 16- to 24-year-olds, affluents, and respondents living in cities.

No surprise, then, that time spent with social media and messaging averaged 2:47 per day. Digital games still occupy more time for Egypt’s internet users than their counterparts in many other countries—and that time had climbed sharply YoY. Survey respondents estimated that in H1 2021, gaming consumed 1:46 each day, on average—28 minutes more than in 2020, and almost as much as online video (1:49).

The average time spent with social media and messaging was 3:22 per day. As in past years, these figures were among the highest GWI recorded globally. Moreover, most internet users were active on a large number of platforms. Over 55% of those polled used at least seven; of that group, nearly 17% said they used 11 or more social and messaging services.

Social networking helped to boost the total time spent with digital media. Social media and messaging activity reached new heights in Mexico this year; 99.4% of internet users polled in H1 2021 had used social media in the month prior and almost as many had used messaging services such as WhatsApp. Also this year, time spent with social networking achieved a new high of 3:28 daily, on average.

Canada’s internet users were also more likely to spend time on social media and messaging than to watch live TV in H1 2021. Fully 96.2% of those polled had visited at least one of 37 named social networks in the prior month—including 88.1% of the oldest cohort.

Where in the world do people use social media the most?

Time spent daily with social media and messaging averaged 1:50—about half an hour less than time devoted to broadcast TV. More than 8 in 10 respondents in Italy had listened to live radio programs.

Beyond social media, time spent on all other measured digital activities was also up year over year. For example, on a typical day, online press claimed 2:47—18 minutes more than in H1 2020, and almost five times the 35 minutes spent daily with print press.

Time spent with all digital devices rose in 2021. Fully 98.7% of internet users ages 16 to 64 polled in H1 2021 owned a smartphone—effectively identical to the rate in H1 2020. Time spent with smartphones and other mobile devices in H1 2021 reached a remarkable 5 hours, 15 minutes (5:15) per day, on average—a gain of 9 minutes year over year.