Two findings stand out  in the latest social media analysis of usage in South Africa.

The first is that Instagram is the fastest growing social network in terms of usage in South Africa and that Facebook is still the most popular social media platform. The World Wide Worx and Fuseware 2016 Social Media Landscape report  states that the number of Facebook users in South Africa grew from 13 million in 2015 to 14 million in 2016. Instagram grew from 2.68 million users to 3.5 million between 2015 and 2016.
Other interesting data  will certainly be important for  internet marketers and social media managers is that,

• Twitter’s growth has slowed dramatically, growing from 7.4 million to 7.7 million South African users between 2015 and 2016.
• Another very important finding is that there was a significant increase in terms of  the mobile access to social networks. For example, Facebook users in the country who access the service from mobile devices increased from 10 million in 2015 to 12 million in 2016.
• There has been a slight increase in the user base for YouTube, which increased by 15 percent from 7,2-million to 8,28-million users.
• As noted, the largest increase in users is with Instagram which rose by
  133 per cent, from 1,1-million to 2,68-million.

One do the most important findings is the increase in the use of smarphones to access social networks.

It was found that ” …smartphones are used by 7,9-million South Africans to access Facebook, while 1,6-million are using basic feature phones to do so. Tablets are being used to access Facebook by 1,4-million people – many of whom are also using their phones.” The World Wide Worx and Fuseware 2016 Social Media Landscape report

Social media planning.

• With the growth of the mobile market and the increased use of mobile devices to access social media, many companies are planning their advertising and marketing campaigns around social networks. In this regard, the most planning by South African brands is focussed on Instagram with “…24 per cent saying they plan to do so on the coming year. At present, 42 per cent of major brands are using it, with Mr Price and Mercedes Benz having been the most successful with individual images”. The World Wide Worx and Fuseware 2016 Social Media Landscape report