According to the 2025 Digital April Global Statshot Report by Meltwater, globally the digital transformation continues at a huge scale as out of a population of 8.21-billion about 5.81-billion people use mobile phones with 5.64-billion individuals being internet users and 5.31- billion holding social media identities.
South Africans are consuming online media at levels that mirror and sometimes surpass global trends with the average weekly time spent consuming online media globally being 33 hours and 23 minutes.
“The majority of the South African population, specifically 78.7%, used mobile devices to access the internet in 2022. This proportion is expected to exceed 90% by 2027,” said Statista.
Meltwater’s report revealed that mobile phones have become the gateway to the web for millions and that globally, 97.7% of internet users aged 16 and older use mobile phones to connect, with 97.5% using smartphones.
A gender gap in internet usage still exists but is narrowing. In SA 66.5% of the female population uses the internet compared to 70.8% of the male population.
“Globally, online videos top the list of consumed media formats each week, with 91.5% of internet users engaging. Social media follows closely at 88.4%, and short-form videos like TikToks hit 87.5%,” said Meltwater.
The digital report also showed that the time spent by global internet users (16+) on an average weekly basis is:
- 11 hours 34 minutes on online videos
- 7 hours 8 minutes on social media
- 9 hours 58 minutes watching TV (online and traditional)
- 1 hour 56 minutes listening to podcasts
Additionally, Meltwater said that the average person consumes social media 4.19 days per week, while platforms like TikTok and Reels are used 4.12 days a week. Long-form videos, online press, and even traditional radio still maintain their footing, but digital is clearly dominant.
Why are users going online? The top reasons include:
- 60.9%: To find information
- 58.6%: To stay connected with friends and family
- 54.0%: To watch videos, TV shows or movies
- 29.7%: To meet new people
According to the report, SimilarWeb’s December 2024 to February 2025 rankings showed that the top visited website globally, reflecting a strong preference for content, connection and search, was Google, followed by YouTube, , Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).
In February, the percentage of page views by browser was 66.3% via Google Chrome, 17.99% on Safari and 5.33% on Microsoft Edge.
SA’s’s digital landscape continues to evolve, the dominance of the 25 to 34-year-old age group highlights a future shaped by tech-savvy, mobile-first and video-driven communication.
TimesLIVE