Since this column’s inception in 1996 we’ve run several pieces on data collected and analyzed by the Pew Research Center. Pew, on its website, says it “is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. We conduct public opinion polling, demographic research, content analysis and other data-driven social science research.”
Pew particularly provides analytical commentary on internet usage in America. Recently (Jan. 31, 2024), it released its findings on how Americans have changed their usage of social media sites and services. While this survey pertains to the American scene, some of its more general outcomes are probably similar to what we might find in Canada.
Here’s how Pew described its data collection for insight into American social media use:
“To better understand Americans’ social media use, Pew Research Center surveyed 5,733 U.S. adults from May 19 to Sept. 5, 2023. Ipsos conducted this National Public Opinion Reference Survey (NPORS) for the Center using address-based sampling and a multimode protocol that included both web and mail. This way nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race and ethnicity, education and other categories.”
Pew notes that when it began the survey, Twitter was still using its original name, which changed to X before the survey ended. In its reporting, Pew uses both names interchangeably. This survey comes at possibly an inflection point in the adoption of social media, with hints of usage declining, perhaps in the wake of the turmoil arising from the Elon Musk takeover at Twitter.
Based on the 2023 survey, Pew reports that YouTube and Facebook are the dominant social media platforms in the country. Just over 83 per cent of adults report they use YouTube, and 68 per cent use Facebook. Pew notes that these figures have remained roughly constant since 2021.
Facebook parent company Meta also owns third place social media site Instagram, with just under half (47 per cent) of American adults reporting they use it. Meta-owned WhatsApp also makes the list at Number 8, with around 29 per cent usage by American adults. Put another way, Meta, through these three properties, reaches an overwhelming proportion of the American adult population.
In positions 4, 5, and 6, we find picture-sharing service Pinterest (35 per cent), video-sharing service Tiktok (33 per cent), and Microsoft-owned networking service LinkedIn (30 per cent).
Rounding out the bottom of the 10-item list are Twitter or X in eighth spot (22 per cent), tied with about one in five U.S. adults using Reddit, one of the original social media platforms. In 10th place we find photo sharing service BeReal with a relatively meaningless three per cent usage rate. It should be noted that Pew created the survey set of 10 rather than having respondents merely list which social media platforms they might be using.
Pew did not include social media sites that rose to prominence over the past year due to the turbulence at Twitter in the Elon Musk era or that were recently introduced. Examples here include Mastodon, Bluesky, and Threads.
TikTok, Pew notes, was the fastest growing service in its survey, up 12 points from the 2021 numbers, or more than 50 per cent growth. The other sites were more or less stable in their adoption percentages.
What Pew did notice, however, was the age disparity for some of the apps. In particular, it commented that Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok were much more heavily used by adults under 30 than, say, by seniors. For example, Instagram was used by 78 per cent of those 18 to 29, but by only 15 per cent of those 65 or older.
We don’t have space here to dig into other aspects of the Pew survey results. For instance, the data is looked at in socio-economic terms (LinkedIn is more likely to be used by those with college degrees). Pew also looked at social media usage in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, and education.
To see the full report, as well as actual survey wording, head to the Pew Research Center website (pewresearch.org), and enter “social media” in the search box. There you will find the latest report under the heading “Americans’ Social Media Use.”
SiriusXM Subscription Update
I’ve written a few times about my frustrations when renewing the satellite music provider’s subscription. This year I could not get the provider to match last year’s rate ($84). The lowest offer was $104, almost a 25 per cent increase. Today my service was cut and I will now await offers to get me back.
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