TikTok has 2 billion monthly active users. Snapchat has 860 million. Twitter has 440 million. Instagram has 1.2 billion. What does this mean?

**Introduction:** In January 2023, TikTok became the very first social media to hit 2 billion monthly active users, a milestone that Facebook achieved back in 2013. **[You can see how many users each social media has here.]** This means that TikTok has more users than Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest...put together.<br><br>**What does this mean?:** A lot. **[Read on for explanations and analyses from experts and users, and add your thoughts below.]**<br><br>**Why do these numbers matter?** In short, it means **reach and scale.** Social media are networks where people come to interact with others, and the larger a network is, the more people you can interact with on it. This means that if you're one of the app's users, you'll not only be able to see more content when you open it up, but you'll also be reachable by more potential creators.<br><br>**What does this mean for TikTok's advertising?** "This is what every marketer dreams of," said Jurek Leidner, founder and CMO of Third Wave, a social media agency that runs TikTok and Reels campaigns. "It's just an enormous audience for advertising." There are 2 billion monthly active users to run ads to. It's an incredibly large number. And with **[TikTok Ads launching in more countries every year],** it's going to only keep growing. Ads are important because they help TikTok make money.<br><br>**What does this mean for safety?:** "The size of the userbase is less concerning than its distribution and characteristics, in terms of safety and security," said Stephen Barker, a fellow at the Information Technology and International Security (ITIS) program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, who studies the cybersecurity risks of the app. "If 2 billion people are using TikTok, it means that there are 2 billion potential targets for cyberattacks, and that the potential damage of a given breach is much larger."<br><br>**How could this impact elections?:** "If the US government banned TikTok, it could drive the app underground and make it even more popular, particularly among younger generations," said Jake Holmes, chief threat officer at Immervision, a company that makes AI-powered surveillance technology. "The app's popularity could make it more difficult for governments to regulate and enforce any potential ban." **[Read more on this here.]**