The question “What American social media are you using?” often pops up in conversation amongst friends. But what are you actually doing online? The Pew Research Center published a report detailing how Americans use their social media accounts. The findings were interesting, and they revealed how different social media platforms are used by Americans of various demographics and identities. Twitter, for example, is used by more men than women, while Facebook is the most popular social media network in the U.S.
In 2019, Facebook and Twitter had roughly the same user base as in 2016, but their growth rate has slowed over the past five years. While Facebook remains the most popular social network among US adults, the number of users on Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Snapchat, and WhatsApp has remained fairly stable. The only social media sites that saw significant growth are Nextdoor and Reddit. These platforms are only used by 13% of US adults, but this may change in the coming years.
In the United States, the number of users using Facebook has reached almost 80%. YouTube is the second most popular social media site with nearly two billion registered users. It is estimated that approximately seventy-one percent of U.S. adults use Facebook on a daily basis, and almost half of them use it at least once a week. Facebook is also very popular among US women: 77% use it daily, and 64% of men. However, men use Facebook more than women do, and the use of Facebook is more common among younger users.
