The Pew Research Center released an updated survey on social media use among U.S. adults. Even if YouTube (especially) and Facebook have maintained their dominant status since the last survey in 2021TikTok is the fastest growing platform, with more than a third of adults now saying they use the app.
The survey surveyed 5,733 U.S. adults between May 19 and September 5, 2023. Youtube was by far the most used platform, with 83% of respondents saying they use it at some point. Meanwhile, 68 percent of users reported using Facebook.
These two platforms are the only ones that a majority of people use them in every age group. However, age gaps still exist, particularly among YouTube users. For example, 93% of those aged 18 to 29 say they use Google's video platform, while 60% of those aged 65 and over say the same thing. (Facebook only has a nine percent difference between the same two demographics.)
Instagram came in third overall, as 47 percent of respondents reported using it. Pinterest (35 percent), TikTok (33 percent), LinkedIn (30 percent), WhatsApp (29 percent) and Snapchat (27%) all belong to the next lower level. TikTok's growth is the most remarkable: the ByteDance-owned platform jumped 12 points compared to 21% two years earlier. This is by far the biggest advancement among all the platforms on the list.
The next tier includes Reddit and X, each accounting for 22%. To complicate matters, Elon Musk's company changed his name from Twitter to (And brought in a new CEO) while investigations were taking place in the field. The company's reported user count has declined slightly in two years, down from 23% in 2021. Meanwhile, Reddit is up four points from 18% two years prior, despite the controversy over the platform's API which occurred after investigations were completed.
Other platforms with significant gaps by age group include Instagram (78% of survey participants aged 29 and under use it, compared to 15% of those aged 65 and over) and Snapchat (65% l 'use for those under 30, 4% for those 65 and over). up). The population aged 40 to 49, which includes younger Gen Xers and all but the youngest Millennials, has particularly high rates for LinkedIn (40%), WhatsApp (38%), and Facebook ( 75%).
Among other notable demographics, Pew reports that TikTok is particularly popular among Hispanic users, with 49 percent reporting using it (and women reporting using it at a 15 percent higher rate than men). The And, unsurprisingly, given its professional orientation, LinkedIn has a higher rate of respondents with at least a bachelor's degree (25 points more than those with “some college education” and 43% more than those with a bachelor's degree). high school education or less). ).