Six billion people online. Two in three on social. More than a billion using generative AI each month.
We Are Social’s new Digital 2026 report sets the baseline for the year ahead – and it changes how communicators should plan for reach, discovery, and operations.
The Baseline at a Glance
- Internet: 6.04 billion users – roughly 73% of the world.
- Social: 5.66 billion social media user identities – around 69% of the world.
- Mobile: 5.78 billion unique mobile subscribers – mobile remains the default access point.
Note: “user identities” do not equal unique people, and the underlying datasets update periodically – treat these as planning guardrails rather than absolute truths.
What this Means for 2026 Planning
Audience & attention: Reach is there, but attention is fragmented across platforms and formats. Prioritise a small number of channels where your audience actually engages, and build native content for each.
Discovery is changing: Search still matters, yet journeys now pass through AI answers, social search, and private sharing. Optimise for people and answer engines by aligning with SEO and GEO style prompts; and structure content with clear questions, succinct explanations, and trusted-source citations.
AI is mainstream: With more than a billion monthly users, AI shapes expectations for speed, summaries, and personalisation. Use AI to accelerate production and analysis, while keeping humans responsible for truth, tone, and context.
Measurement that matters: Retire vanity metrics. Tie effort to key outcomes, including consideration, intent, and trust signals. Refresh dashboards and attribution to reflect AI-assisted discovery.
✅ A Practical 2026 Checklist
- Audience: Validate segments and channel usage with fresh data.
- Presence: Keep a lightweight, always-current web hub; syndicate to social.
- Findability: Update keyword and prompt strategies, and add structured data along with clear FAQs.
- Formats: Plan a mix of video, short text, and carousels; design once, adapt per channel.
- AI in workflow: Document where AI is used; add human review gates; train teams.
- Governance: Update policies on disclosure, privacy, and model risk.
- Measurement: Select two outcome metrics per initiative and discard any unused ones.
🎭 Pros and Cons
- Pros: Credible global baselines; clear direction for mobile-first, multi-format, AI-aware planning.
- Cons: Numbers date quickly; “user identities” are not people; AI usage measures are still maturing.
- Mitigation: Re-check quarterly and adapt your plan as behaviours shift.
Source:
"Digital 2026 Global Overview Report" published by We Are Social in partnership with Meltwater – https://wearesocial.com/uk/blog/2025/10/digital-2026-global-overview-report/
