What are the usage rates of social networking services and their characteristics by age group?

The graph below is an excerpt of the "Usage Rates of Major Social Media Services/Applications" from the "2022 Survey Report on Information and Communications Media Usage Time and Information Behavior" by age groups from 10 to 60.

We can see that usage rates differ by social networking service. LINE, which is used as a daily communication tool, has the highest usage rate among all age groups, at over 80%, while YouTube also has a slightly lower rate among those in their 60s, but the rate among other age groups exceeds 80%, indicating that it has more users than other SNS.

Focusing on those in their teens and twenties, Tik Tok has a higher usage rate than the other age groups. Nico Nico Douga and Instagram are also used more by those in their 10s and 30s than those in their 40s and beyond.

Among the 10-40s, X (formerly Twitter) has a prominent usage rate among those in their 20s. Facebook, which is sometimes used for business purposes, shows low usage among teens, but high usage among those in their 30s and 40s.

According to the results of the survey by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) introduced earlier, some SNSs that were active in the past have usage rates of less than 1% for some age groups. Let's take a look at the characteristics of seven SNSs with usage rates of more than 10% for all ages.

1. LINE

According to a 2022 survey report by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the usage rate of LINE among all age groups was 94.0%, indicating that it is a social networking service with a high usage rate of over 80% among all age groups.

Source: Prepared based on "FY2022 Survey Report on Information and Communications Media Usage Time and Information Behavior" (National Institute of Information and Communications Policy, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications)
https://www.soumu.go.jp/main_content/000887659.pdf

LINE is a social networking service that is considered to have a large number of active users as well as usage. It is suited for casual communication among friends and groups, with features such as light conversation using chat, calls, video calls, and group chats.

From the company's point of view, the advantages of LINE are that it is easy for people to register as friends and for their messages to be viewed.

Since there are many users of LINE itself, it is easy to establish a broad relationship with many users through friend registration. It is also easy for messages to be opened with push notifications and unread batches.

2. X (formerly Twitter)

X (formerly Twitter) is a social networking service with a usage rate of 45.3% for all age groups, with a particularly high usage rate of over 50% for those in their teens through 30s.

Source: Created based on "2022 Survey Report on Information and Communications Media Usage Time and Information Behavior" (National Institute of Information and Communications Policy, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications)
https://www.soumu.go.jp/main_content/000887659.pdf

As the predecessor of Twitter, many posts are short, and information is easily spread through reposts (users reposting their own posts).

The advantage for companies is that they can easily connect directly with users through replies. Since it is a real-time SNS, if you can create a topic of conversation, the information will spread, and it will be easier for people to become interested in the account itself.

3. Facebook

Facebook is a social networking service with a 29.9% usage rate among all age groups, with 46.5% of those in their 30s and 38.2% of those in their 40s.

The difference from other SNSs is that users tend to register their real names and face photos, making it easier to ascertain the demographics of users. The real name system creates a formal environment, and its use in the business scene is thriving.

The advantages of using Facebook for businesses are its cost-effectiveness and low risk of flame wars. First of all, as with other SNS, Facebook is free to use for posting, and advertisements can be placed for as low as several hundred yen.

In addition, the basic system is based on real names, and because it is not anonymous like other social networking services, the risk of flame wars is considered low.

4. Instagram

Instagram is a social networking service widely used by various age groups, with a usage rate of over 50% for all age groups. Usage is particularly high among people in their teens and 30s, with usage rates of 70% for those in their teens and 20s, and over 60% for those in their 30s.

Instagram is strong on visual content, with images and videos being the main focus. Users often view posts through search, and hashtags (#) play an important role as they can be used as keywords when searching or as tags themselves to follow.

The advantage for companies is that it is easy to create an opportunity to make a purchase. It is easy to express a product's worldview through visual approaches such as photos and videos, which helps build a brand image and create an image of the product or service. The shopping function also makes it compatible with e-commerce sites.

5. Tik Tok

The usage rate of Tik Tok among all age groups is 28.4%. Younger generations are more likely to use Tik Tok, with 66.4% of teens and 47.9% of 20-somethings using the service.

Tik Tok is characterized by the ease with which anyone can create videos using music and effects. Tik Tok uses a unique recommendation system, and even if an account has no followers at all, if a video passes the AI screening process, it will appear in the recommendations section of a certain number of users, making it easy for even newly established accounts to be viewed.

The advantage of using Tik Tok for companies is that it is easy to reach young people, who have a high usage rate of Tik Tok, and because Tik Tok ads can be skipped, there is no low likelihood of ads being liked and accepted.

6. YouTube

YouTube is the second most popular SNS among all age groups after LINE, with a usage rate of 87.1% among all age groups and over 80% among those in their 10s to 50s.

It is a platform that allows users to post videos, and is gaining popularity not only for posting but also because it allows users to easily view a wide range of video content that differs from that on TV. It is widely used around the world and has a large number of users.

The advantages on the corporate side are that it is cost-effective and can be expected to spread. First of all, in terms of cost-effectiveness, the ability to distribute targeted video advertisements makes it easy to reach the necessary audience.

In addition, if the videos posted by companies are accepted by viewers, they are easily diffused and become the topic of conversation, and in recent years, collaborations between companies and YouTubers have been increasing.

7. niconico douga

Nico Nico Douga has a 14.9% usage rate among all generations, with a particularly high usage rate among teens and 20s. 27.9% of teens and 28.1% of 20s use this SNS, both exceeding 20%.

Source: Prepared based on "Survey Report on Information and Communications Media Usage Time and Information Behavior in FY2022" (National Institute of Information and Communications Policy, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications)
https://www.soumu.go.jp/main_content/000887659.pdf

One of the features of Nico Nico Douga is the ability to display comments on videos in real time. Since comments can be written directly on the videos, it is said to be interesting in that everyone can share their groove and tsukkomi to the videos.

It is similar to YouTube in that it is a platform for posting videos, but it differs in that it has its own culture, with direct posting and tagging of videos as expressions.

Companies can use Nico Nico Douga for promotional activities in anticipation of its topicality and users' high sensitivity to information.

What are the usage rates of social networking services and their characteristics by age group?

Cross Marketing Inc.
Customer Solutions Division, Digital Solutions Department, Digital Solutions Group
manager (e.g. of a business, an idol, etc.)

SNS usage by age group