The bar chart illustrates the percentage of small, medium, and large businesses that used social media for business purposes between 2012 and 2016.
Overall, it is clear that there was a general increase in social media usage across all three categories. Moreover, large companies consistently recorded the highest proportions throughout the period shown.
However, among the three groups, large businesses did not display a steady upward trend, except for a notable fluctuation in 2015. During the first three years, their figures remained relatively stable at just under 80%, with only a slight decline in 2014. In contrast, there was a sharp drop in 2015, when the percentage fell to approximately 50%. Nevertheless, this decline was temporary, as usage rose again in 2016, returning to nearly its previous level.
By comparison, small and medium-sized businesses followed broadly similar patterns, although the scale of change differed. Small businesses experienced a gradual but consistent increase in social media presence over the period. Medium-sized enterprises, on the other hand, saw a significant rise in 2013, followed by a modest increase in 2014. However, both groups experienced a decline in 2015. Notably, the fall was far more pronounced among medium-sized companies, dropping by around 19 percentage points, whereas small businesses only returned to their 2014 levels.
Furthermore, both categories recovered strongly in 2016. Thus, social media usage among small businesses reached its highest point by the end of the period, while medium-sized enterprises also surpassed their earlier figures.