According to TechSpot, the Pew Research Center’s latest social media survey reveals YouTube dominates with 84% of US adults using the platform, significantly ahead of Facebook’s 71%. However, Facebook leads in daily engagement with 54% of users visiting several times per day versus YouTube’s 48%. TikTok saw a sharp increase to 37% despite ongoing ban concerns, while X remained stagnant at 21% with no growth since last year. Snapchat was the only major platform to decline, dropping to 25% usage. The survey also measured three newer platforms: Threads at 8%, Bluesky at 4%, and Truth Social at 3%.
The platform stagnation problem
Here’s the thing about these numbers – they reveal something pretty interesting about platform maturity. When you see YouTube at 84% and Facebook at 71%, you’re basically looking at saturation territory. How much higher can they realistically go? Meanwhile, X sitting at 21% for two years straight tells a different story. Elon Musk‘s platform isn’t just not growing – it’s stuck. And in the social media world, stagnation usually means decline is coming.
TikTok defies the politics
What’s really fascinating is TikTok’s growth to 37% despite all the political drama and potential ban threats. You’d think uncertainty about the platform’s future would make people hesitant to invest time there. But apparently not. The numbers suggest that either people don’t believe the ban will actually happen, or the content is compelling enough to ignore the political noise. Either way, ByteDance must be feeling pretty good about these results.
The demographic divide
The age breakdown isn’t surprising but it’s telling. Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and Reddit dominate the under-30 crowd, while Facebook has become the platform for older users. But here’s what caught my eye: the education correlation. Four-in-ten college grads use Reddit? That’s huge. And WhatsApp at 32% shows Meta’s messaging platform is finally gaining real traction in the US market after years of being primarily international.
The new platform reality
Looking at Threads, Bluesky, and Truth Social all sitting below 10% usage tells you everything about how hard it is to launch a new social platform today. Threads leading with 8% after that massive initial launch shows how difficult user retention really is. Basically, we’re in an era where the big platforms have cemented their positions, and newcomers face an incredibly steep climb. The social media landscape might look pretty similar five years from now – just with different percentage points.
