French social media users
Social media usage in France is widespread and its audience reach is expected to continue to grow. In 2022, there were 48.71 million social media users in France which translates to 74 percent of the country’s population. By 2027, it is likely that 85 percent of the population of France will be using social media. It is no surprise that tech obsessed Generation Z adults in France are extremely active on social networks. In 2022, 79 percent of people aged 18 to 24 years were active on social platforms.Most French users access their social media accounts quite frequently. As of March 2023, 69 percent of users accessed their social accounts daily. There are many reasons why people use social media, and in France, sending private messages was the most common activity carried out on online platforms. Liking and commenting on posts were the second and third most popular behaviors, respectively. Whilst usage and audience size changes across age groups, gender and income are not factors which generally effect people’s likelihood of using social media in France.
Leading platforms in France
Social media comes in many forms; networking sites, image-based apps, short form video platforms, discussion forums, instant messaging, and blogs, to name a few. All in all, it is as varied as its user base. YouTube and Facebook battle for top spot when it comes to France’s most popular platform, with both platforms having almost 48 million monthly active users as of May 2022.Amongst teens and young adults, Snapchat and Instagram are at the top of the leaderboard, with TikTok ranking third, demonstrating a clear difference in what users of different ages want from online networks. Moreover, as of the third quarter of 2022, WhatsApp was the most popular messaging app amongst French users, followed by Facebook Messenger, and Snapchat.
French users’ experiences online
Social media is clearly a part of everyday life in France, and it a common way with which people socialize and spend their free time. However, not all online encounters are positive. As of January 2022, almost 60 percent of French users said they had argued with someone online, and 48 percent reported they had been insulted by someone in an online space.Almost half of French respondents stated that they had discovered a new brand after seeing a campaign ran by an influencer and are also quite likely to purchase a product after seeing an influencer promote it. However, users take some issue with the ethics of influencer marketing. In December 2022, 68 percent of French respondents felt that banning scams should be a main concern for influencers to make their work more ethical. Over half of respondents also stated that retouching or idealizing bodies was a major problem with influencer marketing.