Twitter boasts as many as 45 million monthly active users. Among the various social networking services, its value as a medium that can reach a wide range of people on a large scale has been attracting renewed attention over the past few years, and the number of Twitter promotions by companies is steadily increasing.
Here is a collection of data on Twitter users and the current status of Twitter users. Continue reading when using Twitter as part of your marketing activities.
table of content
Number of Twitter Users by Demographics
Twitter Usage Hours per Day
Twitter Usage Styles
Purpose of Using Twitter
Changes for New Lifestyle Triggered by the COVID-19 Effects
Topics on Twitter (Annual/Monthly Trends)
Number and Types of Twitter Accounts Held per Person
Usage of Official Corporate Twitter Accounts and Impact on Purchases
Participation in Twitter Campaigns; Impact on Purchases
Summary
Number of Twitter Users by Demographics
Twitter has 45 million monthly active users in Japan ( as of October 2017 ). Among various SNS, it boasts the second largest user scale in Japan after LINE.
Twitter is used by a wide range of users. Twitter has a strong association with young people, but in reality, many people in their 30s and older use it.
Number of Monthly Active Twitter Users Worldwide
Twitter has 330 million monthly active users worldwide (as of Q1 2019).
The number of daily active users is on the rise, and in the financial results for the third quarter of 2021, it was announced that mDAU (monetizable daily active users) was 211 million worldwide. The effect of the coronavirus has the mDAU increased by 11% as consumers seek Twitter’s real-time nature and connection with other followers.
Compared to other media, Twitter usage has increased because of COVID-19 and is used daily by many users as a place to quickly identify rapidly changing social changes.
Twitter Usage Hours per Day
During which hours of the day do Twitter users use Twitter?
And how long do they use Twitter per day?
Time of day when Twitter is Used
Twitter is used frequently throughout the day, from morning to night, but it seems to be used particularly frequently during lunchtime and at night.
In addition, according to the latest 2020 study by App Ape Lab, daytime and nighttime hours appear to be growing at a higher rate of around 5% compared to data from the same month in 2019.
Number of Tweets Hour
Here is the number of tweets by the hour. It can be seen that many tweets are made during the nighttime on both weekdays and holidays.
Number of retweets by time
On the other hand, here are the “tweet time zones that are most likely to be RTed” on Twitter. On weekdays, RTs are highest a few hours before waking up, around 12:00 noon, around 3:00 p.m., and when people return home.
Weekends tend to be RTed a few hours before waking up, lunchtime from noon to around 12:00, noon until before 3:00 pm, and before evening.
The results show that Twitter users differ in the time they actively post themselves and the amount of time they spend reading and RTing their Twitter timelines.
Number of Twitter usage hours per day by age group
The average time spent on Twitter per day is 31.9 minutes for those in their teens, followed by 27.2 minutes for those in their 20s, 21.4 minutes for those in their 30s, 21.1 minutes for those in their 40s, and 13.2 minutes for those in their 50s.
Twitter Usage Styles
How is Twitter used and from what devices by age group?
The following data below shows that mobile and cell phone usage is overwhelmingly high across all age groups and that users in their teens and 20s are by far the most likely to not only browse but also post on Twitter.
Purpose of Using Twitter
Why do people use Twitter? The following data shows that users use Twitter to gather information in real-time and to interact with celebrities, famous people, and real-life friends.
In addition, various data by user and purpose of use are introduced, so please take a look at the link below.
Changes for New Lifestyle Triggered by the COVID-19 Effects
A new life was triggered by the spread of the coronavirus. This includes an increasing number of users using Twitter for the purpose of collecting information about their hobbies and favorite things and checking the news in the world. In addition, an increasing number of users are using Twitter for the purpose of checking service details and word of mouth in advance to shorten the time they go out, as well as checking service details and word of mouth in advance for mail orders/delivery and online events. This shows the growing importance of Twitter not only as social information infrastructure but also as an “information infrastructure for consumer behavior.
The trend of using Twitter as a “source of information about shopping” is not temporary and is likely to continue.
91% of Twitter users answered that they would “actively use” or “want to use” SNS for the purpose of “gathering information and word-of-mouth searches about products and services” in the future. In addition, 75% of Twitter users responded that they would like to actively use SNS for applying for and purchasing products and services in the future and that they would like to use SNS not only for word-of-mouth searches but also for applications and purchases. I understand that there are many users who want to use it.
Topics on Twitter (Annual/Monthly Trends)
The #Moments Calendar provided by Twitter summarizes what topics are expected to be discussed in each month from January to December (as of January 5, 2022, the January-March 2022 (As of January 5, 2022, the January-March 2022 calendar is available).
Reference source: Twitter Japan “# Moment Calendar ”
Number and Types of Twitter Accounts Held per Person
How many and what types of Twitter accounts does each Twitter user have?
Number of accounts held per person
66% of users have only one Twitter account, and 34% have multiple Twitter accounts.
Types of Accounts Held
Approximately 90% of users have their own private accounts, as well as other accounts for “connecting with hobbies,” “applying for sweepstakes,” and “work.” People who have multiple accounts can see the actual situation of using them properly according to the purpose.
Reference source (both above): Allied Architects Co., Ltd. “ Survey on Twitter campaign usage by Twitter users holding official corporate accounts ” (December 2020)
Usage of Official Corporate Twitter Accounts and Impact on Purchases
How often do Twitter users use corporate official Twitter accounts? What is the purpose of the user? How much influence does it have on purchasing?
Whether or Not They Follow Official Twitter Accounts
54.3% of all users follow the official Twitter accounts.
Information expected from official Twitter accounts
It can be seen that many users are looking for information that directly benefits them, such as “new information and sale information on services and products” and “information on campaigns that can be participated in on Twitter (discount coupons, etc.).”
Twitter users have purchased products and services as a result of SNS
As many as 60.5% of respondents indicated that they have made some type of purchase, indicating that the social networking service has influenced their actual purchases in a variety of genres. Among these, the most common items were confectionery, restaurant chains, beverages, and groceries available at supermarkets, which are consumed on a daily basis.
Participation in Twitter Campaigns; Impact on Purchases
How much do Twitter users use Twitter campaigns run by companies? And to what extent do these campaigns influence purchases?
Participation in Twitter campaigns by official company accounts
62% of users have participated in a Twitter campaign.
Experience of Participating in Twitter Campaigns and Purchase of Products/Services
Looking at “Purchasing experience of products and services triggered by Twitter” by whether or not they have participated in Twitter campaigns, it can be seen that users who have participated in campaigns overwhelmingly lead to purchases.
Summary
The latest data on the actual status of Twitter users shows the following characteristics
- This SNS is used by 45 million users.
- It is used not only by young people but by people of all ages
- Compared to other media, Twitter saw the largest increase in usage because of COVID-19
- It is often used throughout the day. Posting time and viewing time tend to be different.
- Twitter is used as a place to gather information on various aspects of daily life.
- Under the new lifestyle triggered by the spread of new coronavirus infections, not only use Twitter as a social infrastructure such as obtaining the latest information, but also obtain information before shopping at mail orders or real stores. The number of cases where it is used as a place is increasing, and the importance of Twitter as an “information infrastructure for consumption behavior” is increasing
- Overwhelmingly, users from all age groups use mobile devices (cell phones).
- The most popular topics are those that are discussed on a monthly basis throughout the year (see the Moment Calendar provided by Twitter for reference).
- The majority of respondents have only one account for their own private use. However, some users use different accounts for different purposes.
- The majority of users follow official Twitter accounts and tend to seek direct benefits from them.
- Many people have purchased products and services through Twitter.
Twitter is used actively by many people, and this data can be used effectively for marketing purposes based on the characteristics of users.
