Since it was introduced over a decade ago, social media has changed the way we live and do business because it allows people from all over the world to connect with each other without having to pay anything, which is very convenient. Businesses have also been quick to embrace social media because it provides them with a great marketing tool that helps them build their brands.
In 2014, My Voucher Codes conducted a study to determine which companies are the leaders when it comes to social media. Due to the study’s success, and the evolving social media landscape, the company decided to update the study in 2016.
In 2014, the social media leader was Google, which at the time had an estimated value of $382 billion. Today, the online search giant is worth an estimated $525 billion.
Facebook was the second leading social media in 2014 with an estimated value of $190 billion. Today, the social media giant is worth an estimated $314.8 billion.
Twitter comes in at third with an estimated worth of $49 billion in 2014. Today, the company is worth $32.9 billion.
Yahoo, which lost its market share in the online search niche to Google was worth an estimated $35 billion in 2014, Today, Yahoo is worth an estimated $35.5 billion.
In 2014, LinkedIn was worth $75 billion, but today, the company’s net worth has dropped significantly to $15.8 billion.
Going by the list, Facebook still trails Google in terms of net worth, but the company’s social media platform is said to be lightyears ahead of Google’s social media platform, Google+, which has seen a decline in users in recent years.
The decline in Google+ users is said to be big enough to make the company consider phasing it out. The fact that Instagram and WhatsApp, which were acquired by Facebook, have seen a significant increase in users, has also helped to increase Facebook’s value.
Yahoo, which was the leading search engine before the arrival of Google, has been struggling with internal issues, security breaches, and attempted sales of the company, which has significantly affected the company’s value. Despite the company’s struggles, its social networking platform has seen an increase in users, but the increases have been limited because of fears due to the breach.
Like Yahoo, LinkedIn was an early social networking pioneer. The platform, which was designed to help prospective employees connect with companies that are hiring, also suffered a security breach that has led to people turning to alternatives instead.
With the emergence of new social networking platforms, look for some changes in this list by the time the next study is out.
