The latest SMI Barometer by Artevelde University of Applied Sciences and Comeos shows a clear shift in how people use social media today.
Social media is no longer just a place to scroll or stay connected. It has become a space where people discover brands, search for information, and make purchase decisions.
In other words: social media is the customer journey.
Social media is now a full funnel system
Across all generations, a few platforms dominate daily use:
WhatsApp remains by far the dominant platform in Belgium, followed by Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. But each platform plays a different role in the customer journey.
Discovery
Instagram (56%) and TikTok (52%) are the strongest platforms where people first discover brands.
What stands out is that TikTok and Instagram are strongly driven by younger audiences, with daily usage among 16–24-year-olds reaching 67% and 86% respectively, making these platforms clear primary discovery engines for Gen Z.
Information
When people want to learn more, they turn to Instagram (31%), TikTok (31%) and Facebook (27%). However, Google remains dominant in this stage (85%), while social media and AI tools are increasingly playing a complementary role. Already, 29% of Belgians use AI tools such as ChatGPT or Copilot to search for information about brands or products, rising to 46% among Gen Z.
Conversion
Facebook (32%) and Instagram (30%) still play a strong role in driving purchases.
However, the data shows that social media’s role in conversion is mainly indirect: 27% click on ads or sponsored posts, 15% via influencer links, and 11% through tagged products. Direct purchasing remains limited, but social media clearly influences the steps leading toward conversion.
This shows an important shift: success on social media is no longer about being present everywhere. It is about understanding the role of each platform in the journey.
Gen Z: discovery-first behavior
The daily media consumption of 16–24-year-olds is highly visual and creator-driven.
They don’t just follow brands, they discover them while scrolling. And this translates into behavior: 85% of 16–24-year-olds follow at least one brand on social media.
For this group, social media is a discovery engine, not just a communication tool.
Influencers as a key part of the system
Influencers are now fully integrated into how people discover and evaluate brands. They are no longer a niche marketing tactic, but a mainstream part of media consumption across all age groups.
Influencers typically:
- Introduce new brands
- Shape initial interest
- Influence information search
- Contribute to purchase decisions
In total, 55% of Belgian social media users follow influencers or content creators, reaching a peak of 82% among 16–24-year-olds. Instagram remains by far the leading platform (70%), followed by Facebook (41%) and YouTube (39%).
A key insight from the research: influencers are not just awareness drivers anymore. They are a gateway into the entire funnel. This is confirmed by their impact: 63% of young people discover new brands through influencers, 45% look up additional information, and 31% make a purchase based on influencer content. This impact declines significantly among older age groups.
Gender differences in platform behavior
The data shows some differences in how men and women use social media..
This confirms that social media behavior is not one-size-fits-all, even within the same platforms.
Podcasts are becoming a marketing channel
Podcasts have grown into an important, yet often underestimated, part of the digital media landscape. In Belgium, 48% of the population (aged 16–70) listens to podcasts, including 14% on a daily basis and 16% weekly. Younger audiences mainly listen via Spotify (56%) and YouTube (40%), while older listeners more often rely on streaming platforms such as VRT, Play, and Streamz.
Podcast consumption is strongly age-dependent, peaking among 25–34-year-olds (64%), followed by 16–24 (53%) and 35–44 (53%). From there, usage gradually declines to 28% among those aged 65+.
For marketers, podcasts show clear impact across the funnel: 32% have discovered a brand through podcasts, 21% have searched for additional information, and 12% have made a purchase as a result.
Podcasts are particularly strong in:
- Brand discovery
- Building trust
- Long-term storytelling
Although still smaller than social media, podcasts are clearly part of the broader media mix shaping consumer decision-making.
Key takeaway
The key shift is simple: social media is no longer about visibility, but about role. Each platform contributes differently to how people discover brands, search for information, and make decisions.
On top of that, a hybrid ecosystem is emerging in which social media, AI tools, search engines, and podcasts together shape the full information journey of consumers.
For brands, the question is no longer: “Should we be present on social media?”, but rather: “Are we present at the right moment in the customer journey?”
Curious to read more? Download the study here.