Stacy Jo Dixon
Research expert covering social media usage worldwide
Social media usage in Italy - Statistics & Facts
As the digital population of Italy continues to increase, social media usage in the country will continue growing. In January 2024, the number of social media users in Italy reached 43 million, or over 83 percent of the country’s digital population.
Social media are undeniably one of the favorite digital environments in Italy, with users spending a large amount of their online time there. In March 2023, Italian users spent over 23 hours per month online interacting in member communities like social networks and an additional 11 hours chatting on instant messaging platforms.
At the end of 2023, the main types of social media accounts followed by internet users in Italy were those of friends, family, and people users knew. Similarly, when asked about their attitudes toward social media, six in 10 Italian users reported they mainly wanted to keep in touch with friends. A smaller share of Italian social network users felt pessimistic about the medium, while 30 percent reported it made them feel anxious or isolated.
Social videos were also among the most engaging types of content Italian users researched on the internet, as TikTok consolidated its European market. In July 2024, TikTok recorded approximately 678,000 monthly downloads among users in the country. Engaging with social media was the most popular online activity for the Italian digital population. Users connect with their friends, stay social, and message new people on social media. While Facebook and WhatsApp dominate the online market, the rise of online video platforms, especially in their short-form format popularized by TikTok, has brought Italians to spend almost 24 hours per month on social media platforms.
Social media are undeniably one of the favorite digital environments in Italy, with users spending a large amount of their online time there. In March 2023, Italian users spent over 23 hours per month online interacting in member communities like social networks and an additional 11 hours chatting on instant messaging platforms.
Being social: Italy’s favorite online activity
Liking content and sending private messages to other users was the most common social media activity in Italy, with over six in 10 users in Italy reporting engaging in this activity. Posting content such as photos, videos, comments, and status updates appeared to be less popular activities, but only one in 10 Italian social media users reported using social media only passively.At the end of 2023, the main types of social media accounts followed by internet users in Italy were those of friends, family, and people users knew. Similarly, when asked about their attitudes toward social media, six in 10 Italian users reported they mainly wanted to keep in touch with friends. A smaller share of Italian social network users felt pessimistic about the medium, while 30 percent reported it made them feel anxious or isolated.
Most used social media
Meta platforms consistently rank as the most used social media platforms in Italy. As of the end of 2023, market leader Facebook was used by almost eight in 10 Italians, making it the most popular social media platform among Italian users. The web version of the popular social media platform had the highest market share in Italy, with almost 78 percent of all social media visits being directed to Facebook in July 2024.Social videos were also among the most engaging types of content Italian users researched on the internet, as TikTok consolidated its European market. In July 2024, TikTok recorded approximately 678,000 monthly downloads among users in the country. Engaging with social media was the most popular online activity for the Italian digital population. Users connect with their friends, stay social, and message new people on social media. While Facebook and WhatsApp dominate the online market, the rise of online video platforms, especially in their short-form format popularized by TikTok, has brought Italians to spend almost 24 hours per month on social media platforms.
