Social Media Presence In Tanzania

If one was to leave Tanzania around the year 2010 and come back in 2021, there would be many things that this individual would have to get used to. Among these things, Social Media Presence in Tanzania would definitely be among the top of the list. This is to say that the transformation that has happened within a decade in Tanzania in this space is enormous.

The Numbers

So back in 2010, internet penetration in Tanzania according to the World Bank was 2.9%, mind you this was when the population in the country was at 44.35 million people. To put that in perspective, back in 2010 only about 1.3 million people in Tanzania had access to the internet.

Globally, back in 2010, there were 6.922 billion people, and 1.97 billion people globally had access to the internet, that is about 25% of the global population.

Moore’s Law

A quick google search will tell you Moore’s Law is the principle that the speed and capability of computers can be expected to double every two years, as a result of increases in the number of transistors a microchip can contain. Generally speaking, the law suggests that there is an exponential increase in the rate of advancement in technology. This law has been tested for years, and the results have been obvious. Its implications have traversed across multiple industries, and the effects have been clearly experienced by everyone in society. Let’s look at how Tanzania has been affected particularly in the social media space.

Fastforward

It’s now 2021 and a lot has changed. Tanzania has a recorded 43% internet penetration, with a population of over 60 million people, which puts the number of people with access to the internet at over 25 million. The total number of social media users is said to be at 5.4 million which is about 8% of the total population.

Facebook In Tanzania

According to Statistica, approximately 4.6 million people are using this popular social media platform in 2021, with over 60% of users being male. Its dominance can be accredited to the partnerships between the social media giant and the local phone network service providers. These partnerships have enabled locals to be able to access facebook for free.

The Other Giants

In other news, the social media space in Tanzania has also been acquainted with the presence of other platforms namely Instagram, Twitter and Tiktok. Instagram has been able to get over 4% of the population and as it has been most common among the 18 – 25 age groups. Twitter has been able to scoop up a specific niche mainly in the political interest groups. In Tanzania, twitter is the place to be, if you want to follow all things political. Younger Tanzanians have been

Honorable Mentions

Since its purchase by Microsoft, LinkedIn has been showing a lot of promise across the world, and Tanzania is no exception. LinkedIn is by far the trusted social media platform used by professionals. Users mainly use it to follow updates in the corporate space, job posts, news and other corporate activities.

Social Media In Businesses

This social media shift has gone as far as to a point where institutions are not participating in this turn of events, Small and Medium Enterprises SMEs are increasingly realizing this sudden shift in the state of affairs, and are making efforts to move online.

The Future To Come

Things are pacing fast, and there is sign of anything slowing down. There have been reports of reduced sales of smartphones in recent years, however the usage of social media platforms remains something that is being embraced across the community.