Did you know that social media grew by 238 percent between 2009 and 2012, with more than half (54 percent) of U.S. adults active on one or more social media sites by the end of last year?

Twitter usage has doubled in the past two years, and LinkedIn (60 percent increase) and Facebook (38 percent) have also made considerable gains over this period.

Indeed, compared to traditional, and even other forms of digital media, social media has seen unprecedented growth, and is showing absolutely no signs of slowing down.

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Did you know that in 2012, 63.2 percent of internet users visited a social network at least once a month, and that already sizeable number is expected to continue to rise over the coming years?

Social media is huge, and it’s huge everywhere. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram are all massively popular around the globe, and even in territories where they are actively banned, many people will find a way to connect. And if and when those walls eventually come down, the rise of social networking will take another massive leap forward.

Bottom line? Social is big now, but we’re only scratching the surface – you just wait until the end of the decade.

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How would the top social networks rate if they were listed in a high school yearbook?

Thanks to its position as the numero uno in the social world, Facebook would be the quarterback. But it’s not all good news. In 2011, “liking” drugs on Facebook was up 1,131 percent. And while its monthly active users has jumped to over one billion in 2012, 52 percent of students reported being cyberbullied on the social network.

Twitter? Chatty Cathy. It simply won’t shut up – 163 billion tweets have been sent since it first opened its doors, but an estimated 71 percent of these have been ignored. Even more humiliating, new kid on the block Pinterest already drives more traffic to websites than Twitter.

Google+? The spoilt rich kid. Google made $37.9 billion in 2011. But almost none of that came from Google+. Last time we checked, non-mobile visitors were spending an average of just three minutes per month on the fledgling social network, and 30 percent of users who make a public post never, ever make a second one.

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As social media has rapidly integrated itself into our everyday personal and professional lives, it’s very easy – if you’re not careful – to let yourself get overwhelmed. The sheer volume of data being exchanged on these platforms is incredible… and it’s growing all the time.

For example, did you know that one in every eleventh person is now on Facebook, totally 125 billion global friend connections spending 740 billion minutes on Facebook every year? Or that we send 4,600 tweets – 71 percent of which go unnoticed – every second? And, perhaps most mind-blowingly, 7 trillion text messages are now sent on an annual basis?

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When you’re new to social media, certainly as a business owner, it can quickly become overwhelming.

You’ve heard all of these great things about Twitter and Facebook, and their proven track record, but Pinterest seems all shiny and exciting, too. LinkedIn you know is a business network, but does that make it better than Facebook for your brand? And what about Google+, Instagram and Foursquare – where exactly are you supposed to begin?

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Did you know that 52 percent of travelers use social media for summer vacation inspiration?

Mobile devices are quickly becoming portable, pocket travel agents, offering instant access to airfare prices, contact information, flight schedules and bookings. Facebook is the traveler’s social network of choice, with 29 percent using this platform for holiday inspiration, ahead of Twitter (6 percent) and Pinterest (4 percent).

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