Have we reached “peak social media”?

The days of unchecked growth are over. In October 2025, Austria is showing a phenomenon that is likely to surprise many: the number of social media users is declining. With 6,98 million users we are 4,4% below the previous year.

But before you cut your budget: this is not a crisis, but rather market consolidation. The remaining users (still 76,6% of the total population) are highly active. What we are seeing here is a shift from “quantity” to “quality” – or rather: to intensity.

Here are the 4 most exciting trends from the latest report:

1. The TikTok paradox: fewer users, but absolute time dominance

When it comes to sheer reach, TikTok is bottom of the major players with 31,4% reach. But: those who are there, stay there. With an average daily usage time of 1 hour and 17 minutes TikTok outclasses the competition.

For comparison:

• TikTok: 1h 17m / day
• Instagram: 1h 00m / day
• Facebook: 20 minutes / day

2. WhatsApp is the uncrowned king

Forget the algorithms for a moment. The true number 1 in Austria is the messenger. 87,3% of users use WhatsApp. It is also the undisputed “favourite platform” (40,3% named it as their favourite).

This shows that Austrians’ primary desire is not just pure entertainment, but connection. 46,5 % use social media primarily to stay in touch with friends and family – the most important reason for using it overall.

3. The ‘hidden champions’ of advertising reach

This is where things get interesting for advertisers. Survey data on usage often differs from the hard figures for ad reach. While Facebook is ahead of Instagram in terms of usage (65,9 %), the potential for advertising looks different – and introduces a surprise guest:

1. YouTube: 6,98 million (the ultimate mass medium)
2. Instagram: 3,35 million
3. Reddit: 3,30 million (!! – an often underestimated giant in Austria)
4. Facebook: 3,05 million
5. LinkedIn: 3,00 million

4. Facebook: The supposedly dead click better

Despite declining usage time (only 20 mins/day), Facebook remains the most important traffic machine. A staggering 62,25 % of all web traffic referrals from social networks still come from Facebook. Instagram (14,41 %) and X (11,40 %) lag far behind. Anyone wanting clicks to their own website can hardly avoid Zuckerberg’s original platform.

Conclusion: quality over quantity

Austrian users in 2025 are selective but engaged. On average, they juggle 5,3 platforms per month and spend over 12,5 hours a week on social networks.

The takeaway for 2025: The battle for new users is over; the battle for attention has intensified. While WhatsApp forms the infrastructure of everyday life and Facebook delivers the traffic, TikTok and Instagram are fighting for the most valuable resource: our time.

All figures are based on the Digital 2026 Austria Report, with the survey period running until October 2025.
Data Report