Facebook is more popular than the Bible

Facebook FB, -0.81%  is in the news again this week, this time over accusations from former staffers that it routinely suppressed news stories that would be of interest to conservatives.

Many people, particularly conservatives, are concerned, not only because it seems unfair, but also because of its potential impact. Each month, 1.65 billion people use Facebook, up from 1.59 billion at the end of 2015, and in North America the numbers are now 222 million monthly users, up from 219 million at the end of last year. If these people’s news feeds were manipulated, it could have the power to sway opinions, as roughly two-thirds of Facebook users say they get their news on Facebook, according to a report released in 2015 from the Pew Research Center and Knight Foundation.

Facebook denies accusations that it’s hiding conservative news from users, saying it “found no evidence that the anonymous allegations are true.” But this brouhaha has made one thing very clear: Facebook’s actions have a massive impact on the world simply because of how many people use Facebook and how often they use it. Here are six statistics that highlight the power of Facebook upon our lives:

1. On an average day, more than 1 billion people are active on Facebook.

That’s roughly one-seventh of the world’s population. Facebook hit this 1 billion mark for the first time in August of 2015, which CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced enthusiastically on his own Facebook page, and as of March 2016, 1.09 billion people log on each day.

2. We look at Facebook more frequently than we do the Bible.

Just 37% of Americans say they read the Bible either weekly or daily, according to Gallup. But more than half (56%) say they read their Facebook feed at least weekly, according to data from the Pew Research Center.

3. More than 1 in 4 Americans use Facebook while they’re sitting on the toilet.

That’s according to a survey of 500 Americans by marketing agency AISMedia. This makes sense when you realize that roughly three-in-four Americans admit to using their mobile phone in the restroom).

4. We spend as much time on Facebook as we do on personal grooming.

The average American spends about 40 minutes a day on Facebook, according to Zuckerberg — and that’s almost the same amount of time we spend on personal grooming, everything from shaving our legs to brushing our hair, according to government data.

5. More than 1 in 10 users always check Facebook if they wake up in the middle of the night.

Roughly half of Americans say they check or update Facebook and/or Twitter either during the night or right when they wake up, according to a survey of more than 1,000 Americans by marketing firm Retrevo. What’s more, more than 1 in 10 people over the age of 25 (and nearly 1 in 5 people under 25) check Facebook or Twitter if they wake up in the middle of the night.

6. Even Grandma is in on it.

More than half of adults (56%) over 65 that use the Internet are now on Facebook, according to data released in 2015 from the Pew Research Center. That’s up from 45% in 2013.