TikTok becomes second biggest social media platform in South Africa: study

CAPE TOWN -- TikTok has overtaken Instagram to secure the second place among the "Big Five" social media platforms in South Africa, challenging Facebook's dominance in the country.

Facebook, with a commanding 56.7 percent penetration of South Africans aged 15 and over in urban areas, continues to dominate the social media realm, according to the South African Social Media Landscape 2023 study, released by brand intelligence consultancy Ornico and market research house World Wide Worx, local media reported Saturday.

However, TikTok has seen rapid growth and surpassed Instagram to claim second position at 30.6 percent. The platform's appeal also extends beyond its under-15 target audience, expanding its influence in the 15+ market, according to the study.

Instagram maintains its popularity among South African social media users, boasting a penetration rate of 27.6 percent, while Twitter remains in the fourth place at 22.5 percent, the study said.

LinkedIn is far behind in fifth at 14.7 percent. However, its penetration is still healthy for a professional networking platform that does not hold much youth appeal.

The study used a mixture of data from Ask Afrika's Target Group Index, which surveyed 24,744 respondents, and Ornico and World Wide Worx's own survey of social media usage by South Africa's biggest brands.