Despite having less than half of Facebook's monthly active users (MAUs), Instagram's top 10 accounts generate 5 times more interactions than Facebook's most-engaged accounts, according to data from CrowdTangle between Nov. 17-Feb. 17.

Why it matters: These numbers illustrate the level of engagement Instagram has captured. The disadvantage in MAUs can be overcome if users come to the platform more times in a day, spend more time when on the app, and engage more while there.

Between the lines: The type of accounts that fill out the top 10 of each platform reflect the engagement incentives on those platforms and lend insight into what users go there for.

• Instagram: Star power and celebrity on the list speak to how showcasing a lifestyle flourishes on Instagram. A visually oriented platform enables "influencers" to present an aesthetic that followers can aspire to. With no real sharing mechanism like Facebook or Twitter, the proliferation of information (and misinformation) is less prevalent.
• Facebook: Faceless viral content publishers flourish. Pages are reliant on Facebook's algorithm to be surfaced into users' feeds, and because the majority of posts won't break through, the most successful pages are the ones that have posts frequently go viral. The top Facebook pages aren't brand-name publishers, but accounts that create, aggregate, and sometimes pirate viral content.
• Twitter: Politics and ideological warfare win out. Rhetoric and ideas predominate on Twitter because text is the basic post type, making it a natural fit for politicians and political commentators. This dynamic also makes the platform ripe for conflict-as-entertainment partisan echo chambers and bloodbaths — providing plenty of incentive for misinformation.

By the numbers: The most recently reported MAU numbers have Facebook at 2.32 billion (Jan. 2019), Instagram at 1 billion (June 2018) and Twitter at 326 million (Oct. 2018).

• Instagram's top 10 accounts generated 4.8 billion interactions (likes + comments) vs. Facebook's 922 million (reactions + comments + shares) vs. Twitter's 398 million (retweets plus likes).

Samples of high-performing posts:

Instagram:

1. 9Gag — Hong Kong-based viral video and meme publisher
2. Kylie Jenner
3. 433 — Dutch-owned soccer account
4. Ariana Grande
5. NBA
6. Cristiano Ronaldo
7. NFL
8. The Rock
9. Kim Kardashian West
10. National Geographic

Facebook:

1. LADbible — British viral content publisher.
2. Cifras — Brazilian viral content publisher.
3. UNILAD — British viral content publisher now owned by LADBible.
4. Womenworking.com — Inspiration-centric women's lifestyle company.
5. Todo Imagenes — Page for Spanish, female-oriented publisher Ohmirevista.
6. Fox News
7. Memes — Meme and viral content page.
8. 9Gag
9. Khaosod — Thai media publisher.
10. Power of Positivity — Inspiration and lifestyle content publisher.

Twitter:

1. Donald Trump
2. Ariana Grande
3. Bleacher Report
4. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
5. Charlie Kirk — right-wing activist
6. Brian Krassenstein — anti-Trump activist
7. SportsCenter
8. Kanye West
9. Ed Krassenstein — anti-Trump activist
10. Kamala Harris

Sen. Kamala Harris of California is leading the field of Democratic presidential candidates in capturing the public's attention during the opening wave of the 2020 campaign.

Why it matters: That puts Harris in a strong position to help set the Democratic primary agenda, much as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is doing for the House Democratic agenda.

The numbers from the past three months (Nov. 12–Feb. 12) say it all:

On Google, Harris was searched twice as often as Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, who were next closest, according to Google Trends.

Instagram interactions, according to CrowdTangle:

1. Harris: 8.3 million
2. Sanders: 4.6 million
3. Warren: 2 million

Twitter interactions, according to CrowdTangle (combining Senate and personal accounts):

1. Harris: 14.4 million
2. Sanders: 8 million
3. Warren: 4.1 million

The exception is Facebook, where Sanders gets much of his clout, according to CrowdTangle (combining Senate and personal accounts):

1. Sanders: 22.1 million
2. Harris: 2.4 million
3. Warren: 2.3 million

In the past three months, articles about Harris have generated 16.5 million interactions on Facebook and from shares on influential Twitter accounts, according to social media analytics company NewsWhip.

• That compares with 14.2 million for Warren and 10.6 million for Sanders.

Harris' follower growth across those platforms during the past three months has been striking:

• On Facebook, her main account has added 123,000 fans, per CrowdTangle. The next closest jump among 2020 competitors is Beto O'Rourke with 51,000.
• On Instagram, Harris has added 613,000 followers. The next closest spikes came from O'Rourke and Warren with 200,000 followers added.
• On Twitter, she has added 420,000 followers. Next closest is O'Rourke with 245,000.

The big picture: The size of the major social media platforms makes for a useful barometer of public opinion and interest. They also signal a level of enthusiasm that is difficult to capture with traditional polling.

Yes, but: Early polling indicates former Vice President Joe Biden and Sanders have the highest favorables among 2020 Democrats. But, this early in the cycle, those numbers are often just a sign of name recognition.

• Having already announced — or formed exploratory committees — Harris, Warren, and Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, Cory Booker and Amy Klobuchar have benefited from announcement-driven spikes of interest. The others can expect that when it's their time — but Harris has dominated the attention well beyond her initial announcement.

The bottom line: President Trump showed in the 2016 campaign that the ability to generate attention and make the public care about you is a precious commodity. Maintaining that edge, more than fundraising totals or a ground game, could be the key for Harris in 2020.

Go deeper:

• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has more Twitter power than media, establishment
• AOC, Beto: The 7 letters disrupting politics
• The fight Trump and AOC both want in 2020

• Her social media stardom follows her around the web, sucking an entire news cycle in around her. That amplifies her media presence, making it feel even bigger than it is on social media itself.
• Coverage of Ocasio-Cortez is more likely to be picked up by news websites from social media than any other Dem, according to data from social analytics company Parse.ly that was pulled for Axios.

From a list of eight popular Democrats, Ocasio-Cortez attracted the second highest overall traffic — after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — between Jan. 3 (when she was sworn in) and Feb. 10 (Sunday) on the websites within Parse.ly's network.

• Most of Pelosi's traffic is related to the possibility of a second government shutdown, per Parse.ly.

How she does it: The digital dominance of Ocasio-Cortez comes not just from the velocity of her social media use, but the buzz around her policies, videos and viral quips.

• "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez" was the #3 top trending search on Feb. 5, the day of the State of the Union, and was the top trending Google Image search related to the State of the Union last week.
• An Axios analysis of Twitter data using CrowdTangle analytics found that Ocasio-Cortez generated more interactions — retweets plus likes — than the six most prolific news organizations combined, over 30 days between December and January.

Be smart: The Ocasio-Cortez web traffic blitz, and cable-news cascade, is because she has introduced — and aggressively defended and promoted — progressive policies around income taxes and climate change on social media.

• Ocasio-Cortez has mentioned #GreenNewDeal more than any other word on Twitter, per data from public affairs software company Quorum (with the exceptions of "people," "one" and "change").
• In less than a month, she has posted 68 times about #GreenNewDeal.

Such hot-button issues flourish on social media and, particularly, Facebook.

• Despite the fact that she isn't the biggest Facebook user (she favors Twitter and Instagram), Facebook is Ocasio-Cortez's main source of social traffic, with about 40% of views coming from that network, per Parse.ly.
• Twitter is next, at just 2.8% of views.

Yes, but: While Ocasio-Cortez may be the queen of social media amongst popular Democrats, she doesn't have the lead in all metrics.

• She doesn't have the most followers. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has more followers than Ocasio-Cortez 0n Instagram. Sanders and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) have her beat on Twitter. Sanders, Booker, former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Beto O'Rourke, and Pelosi all win on Facebook.
• She doesn't receive the most engagement on the biggest platforms, Facebook and Instagram. According to a CrowdTangle analysis, Harris beat her on Instagram and Sanders had the edge on Facebook between Jan. 3 and Feb. 10.

Methodology:

• Parse.ly's network consists of over 2,000 publisher websites across the globe, all of which are paid customers of Parse.ly.
• Popular Democrats measured include Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Kamala Harris, former Vice President Joe Biden, Beto O'Rourke, Sen. Cory Booker, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Stacey Abrams and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.

Go deeper:

• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has more Twitter power than media, establishment
• AOC, Beto: The 7 letters disrupting politics
• The fight Trump and AOC both want in 2020