Table of Contents

Which social media platforms are most common?Who uses each social media platform?Find out more
Fact Sheets: Tech Adoption Trends
Internet/BroadbandMobileSocial Media

Many Americans use social media to connect with one another, engage with news content, share information and entertain themselves. Explore the patterns and trends shaping the social media landscape.

How we did this

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.

Polls from 2000 to 2021 were conducted via phone. For more on this mode shift, read our Q&A.

Here are the questions used for this analysis, along with responses, and its methodology­­­.

A note on terminology: Our May-September 2023 survey was already in the field when Twitter changed its name to “X.” The terms Twitter and X are both used in this report to refer to the same platform.

Which social media platforms are most common?

YouTube and Facebook are the most-widely used online platforms. About half of U.S. adults say they use Instagram, and smaller shares use sites or apps such as TikTok, LinkedIn, Twitter (X) and BeReal.

Which social media platforms are most popular
% of U.S. adults who say they ever use …
YearYouTubeFacebookInstagramPinterestTikTokLinkedInWhatsAppSnapchatTwitter (X)RedditBeRealNextdoor
8/5/201254%9%10%16%13%
8/7/201214%
12/9/201211%13%13%
12/16/201257%
5/19/201315%
7/14/201316%
9/16/201357%14%17%17%14%
9/30/201316%
1/26/201416%
9/21/201458%21%22%23%19%
4/12/201562%24%26%22%20%
4/4/201668%28%26%25%21%
1/10/201873%68%35%29%25%22%27%24%
2/7/201973%69%37%28%27%20%24%22%11%
2/8/202181%69%40%31%21%28%23%25%23%18%13%
9/5/202383%68%47%35%33%30%29%27%22%22%3%
Download data as .csv

Note: The vertical line indicates a change in mode. Polls from 2012-2021 were conducted via phone. In 2023, the poll was conducted via web and mail. For more details on this shift, please read our Q&A. Refer to the topline for more information on how question wording varied over the years. Pre-2018 data is not available for YouTube, Snapchat or WhatsApp; pre-2019 data is not available for Reddit; pre-2021 data is not available for TikTok; pre-2023 data is not available for BeReal. Respondents who did not give an answer are not shown.

Source: Surveys of U.S. adults conducted 2012-2023.

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Who uses each social media platform?

Usage of the major online platforms varies by factors such as age, gender and level of formal education.

% of U.S. adults who say they ever use __ by …

Ages 18-2930-4950-6465+
Facebook67756958
Instagram78593515
LinkedIn32403112
Twitter (X)4227176
Pinterest45403321
Snapchat6530134
YouTube93928360
WhatsApp32382916
Reddit4431113
TikTok62392410
BeReal1231<1
Note: Respondents who did not give an answer are not shown.
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted May 19-Sept. 5, 2023.
MenWomen
Facebook5976
Instagram3954
LinkedIn3129
Twitter (X)2619
Pinterest1950
Snapchat2132
YouTube8283
WhatsApp2731
Reddit2717
TikTok2540
BeReal25
Note: Respondents who did not give an answer are not shown.
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted May 19-Sept. 5, 2023.
WhiteBlackHispanicAsian*
Facebook69646667
Instagram43465857
LinkedIn30292345
Twitter (X)20232537
Pinterest36283230
Snapchat25253525
YouTube81828693
WhatsApp20315451
Reddit21142336
TikTok28394929
BeReal3149
* Estimates for Asian adults are representative of English speakers only. 
Note: White, Black and Asian adults include those who report being only one race and are not Hispanic. Hispanics are of any race. Respondents who did not give an answer are not shown.
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted May 19-Sept. 5, 2023.
Less than $30,000$30,000- $69,999$70,000- $99,999$100,000+
Facebook63707468
Instagram37464954
LinkedIn13193453
Twitter (X)18212029
Pinterest27343541
Snapchat27302625
YouTube73838689
WhatsApp26263334
Reddit12232230
TikTok36373427
BeReal3335
Note: Respondents who did not give an answer are not shown.
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted May 19-Sept. 5, 2023.
High school or lessSome collegeCollege graduate+
Facebook637170
Instagram375055
LinkedIn102853
Twitter (X)152429
Pinterest264238
Snapchat263223
YouTube748589
WhatsApp252339
Reddit142330
TikTok353826
BeReal344
Note: Respondents who did not give an answer are not shown.
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted May 19-Sept. 5, 2023.
UrbanSuburbanRural
Facebook666870
Instagram534938
LinkedIn313618
Twitter (X)252613
Pinterest313636
Snapchat292627
YouTube858577
WhatsApp383020
Reddit292414
TikTok363133
BeReal442
Note: Respondents who did not give an answer are not shown.
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted May 19-Sept. 5, 2023.
Rep/Lean RepDem/Lean Dem
Facebook7067
Instagram4353
LinkedIn2934
Twitter (X)2026
Pinterest3535
Snapchat2728
YouTube8284
WhatsApp2533
Reddit2025
TikTok3036
BeReal44
Note: Respondents who did not give an answer are not shown.
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted May 19-Sept. 5, 2023.

Find out more

This fact sheet was compiled by Research Assistant Olivia Sidoti, with help from Research Analyst Risa Gelles-Watnick, Research Analyst Michelle Faverio, Digital Producer Sara Atske, Associate Information Graphics Designer Kaitlyn Radde and Temporary Researcher Eugenie Park.

Follow these links for more in-depth analysis of the impact of social media on American life.

Find more reports and blog posts related to internet and technology.