Two charts to help understand the social media landscape

Facebook remains the top dog in Hasai’s social media guide, but the company can’t escape questions over how long its time at the top will last. Source: Mashable

Every day brings a new must-watch social media play leading many to ask what do they all do and which ones really matter?

Mashable and Business Insider have published two graphics attempting to illustrate the breadth of the social media landscape and, in the case of Mashable, provide some answers to those trying to get their heads around the dizzying array of offerings.

Mashable’s chart comes from social media strategists Hasia and dishes up the dirt on how many people use a raft of widely-known sites, including Facebook Twitter, Spotify and Pinterest, with some surprising results.

“Did you know Club Penguin has more employees than Twitter? That Spotify has larger revenues than Tagged, which in turn has more users than Twitter? That Pinterest may be a hot property, but Foursquare still has more users?” Mashable’s Chris Taylor asks.

According to the Hasai chart, Facebook remains the top dog with more than 850 million members, $US3.7 billion in revenue and over 3000 employees, well ahead of LinkedIn with 150 million subscribers, $US522 million in revenue and 1797 employees.

Twitter’s 300 million users generate around $US145 million in revenue for the micro-blogging service, allowing it to employ more than 900 people.

Questions continue to swirl around the future of Facebook – particularly after its controversial float – and Twitter. Less so are the doubts about Pinterest, which is touted as one of the more innovative social media platforms for companies selling products with strong visual appeal.

Over at Business Insider, the picture is a lot more complicated. BI’s graph, which is sourced from Buddy Media, shows the mind blowing array of social media companies that have lobbed into the market over the past decade.

Anyone who doubts there might a social media bubble in effect could think twice after surveying the countless companies Buddy Media crams into categories from social marketing to social advertising, content sharing, intelligence and more.

This screenshot shows just half of the companies featured in Buddy Media’s mind-blowing map of the social media landscape.Source: Business Insider

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