Social Media Statistics Australia – May 2012

It is the last day of May and time to report our monthly social networking stats. Again in May, we see newer social networks growing at a fast pace, whilst established players maintain their market position.

To make these stats most useful, where possible we look for the number of active users reported by that social network. If we can’t get that figure we look at user numbers reported by that particular social network or reputable source. Lastly, if we can’t get either of these 2 figures we look at the number of unique Australian visitors (UAVs) going to that site per month.

We have also re-estimated our Google Plus user numbers based on actual numbers from Google and feedback from the Australian internet community.

Social Media Statistics Australia – May 2012

1. Facebook – 10,968,120 Australian users/accounts (down 20,020) – 13 million UAVs according to Google Adplanner. The difference between the user numbers and UAVs may be users logging in from multiple locations – home, work, school etc.
2. YouTube – 11,000,000 UAVs (steady)
3. Blogspot – 4,030,000 (up 30,000)
4. LinkedIn – 2,200,000 (up 100,000)
5. Twitter – 1,800,000 (steady)
6. WordPress.com – 1,600,000 (down 200,000)
7. Tumblr – 1,200,000 (steady)
8. Flickr – 840,000 (down 80,000)
9. Pinterest - 560,000 (up 90,000)
10. Instagram – 423,000 (up 171,000)
11. MySpace – 420,000 (down 40,000)
12. Google Plus – 331,336 approx active users  (Estimated calculation below)
13. StumbleUpon – 150,000 (steady)
14. Reddit – 140,000 (steady)
15. Digg – 77,000 (steady)
16. Foursquare – 57,000 (down 6,000)
17. Delicious – 36,000 (down 7,000)

Google Plus Estimation

Google released official figures – saying there are 170 million people around the world who have upgraded to Google+ (either on the social network or using the +1 button across Google websites). We previously estimated there are around 2.2 million Australian accounts (2,208,909). In last months stats we said around 50% of these accounts are active, but after speaking to various people around Australia in the digital space – we now estimate this figure is closer to 15% active accounts, if that!

We need to be realistic here about the number of people using Google+ in Australia. I appreciate any input from anyone about these stats.

Other noticeable changes for May 2012 

• Pinterest growth is strong, adding over 90,000 new visitors in May and having an Australian base of over half a million visitors.
• Instagram increased Australian user number by approx 170,000 users from April. This is one of the largest increases we have ever seen over a month period. I suspect soon IG will hit half a million users/visitors in Australia. No doubt further Facebook integration is helping drive growth.
• Both the Pinterest and Instagram growth shows a change in preferred user content – photos/pictures.
• MySpace continues its slow decline.
• Most other social networks remain fairly steady.

You can see our report for April if you would like to see last months figures, or view our historic archive of stats.

Feel free to source our stats on your site if you attribute us with a link back to this page, or our homepage – as per our Creative Commons License CC BY-ND 3.0. Stats courtesy: Google DoubleClick Ad Planner tool, Facebook Self-Serve advertising tool and Checkfacebook.com. Figures correct as of 31/05/12.