The most popular social media platform among US adults isn't Instagram or TikTok

18 hours ago7 min read3 comments

In the ever-shifting landscape of digital connection, a new Pew Research Center report for 5,022 American adults delivers a truth that might surprise those steeped in the daily churn of Instagram stories and TikTok dances: the undisputed champion of social media is not a trendy newcomer but the enduring video behemoth, YouTube, with a staggering 84% of adults reporting they use the platform. This isn't just a minor statistic; it's a fundamental revelation about our digital diet, underscoring a preference for on-demand, long-form content and practical how-tos over the ephemeral, algorithmically-driven feeds that dominate cultural conversation.Meta, the social media titan, secures a respectable but distant second and third place, with Facebook at 71% and Instagram at 50%, illustrating a fragmented but still powerful empire. Yet, the report peels back another layer, revealing the stark struggles within Meta's own portfolio—Threads, despite a much-touted 400 million monthly active users globally, is only used by a mere 8% of American adults, a figure that places it perilously close to the digital hinterlands occupied by X (21%), Bluesky (4%), and Truth Social (3%).The real narrative, however, unfolds when we examine frequency. A separate survey of 5,123 adults reveals that while YouTube wins on overall reach, Facebook boasts a more intensely engaged, almost ritualistic user base, with 52% of adults visiting daily and 37% checking in several times a day, compared to YouTube's 48% daily and 33% several-times-a-day usage.This loyalty, defying the narrative of Facebook's stagnation, suggests the platform has successfully transitioned from a global town square to a utilitarian hub for communities, marketplace commerce, and family updates, a transformation that has allowed it to maintain stable, even slightly growing, usage since 2021. The most profound demographic schism, however, is exposed by TikTok.A chasm of generational divide is laid bare: 47% of adults aged 18-29 use the ByteDance-owned app daily, a behavior that plummets to just 5% for those 65 and older. This data point is less about popularity and more about cultural velocity, highlighting how platform adoption is now a primary marker of generational identity.Stepping back, this Pew report acts as a crucial counterweight to the hype cycle, reminding us that the loudest platforms in the cultural echo chamber are not always the most widely used. It speaks to a maturation of the social internet, where utility, searchability, and established community networks—embodied by YouTube and Facebook—can hold their ground against the fierce, addictive pull of short-form video and viral trends. For marketers, sociologists, and anyone trying to understand the American digital psyche, this is essential reading, a data-driven map of where we actually spend our time online, not just where we think the action is.

#social media

#YouTube

#Facebook

#Pew Research

#US adults

#usage statistics

#featured

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