Social Media

Nearly two-thirds of American adults (65%) use social networking sites, up from 7% when Pew Research Center began tracking social media usage in 2005.

An analysis of how 12 heavily visited U.S. news websites covered the pope's visit to America. The news narrative around Pope Francis’ visit to the United States drew heavily upon the Pope and the public as sources.

From heart emojis on Instagram to saying goodbye to a relationship with a text message, digital technology plays an important role in teen relationships.

Some 73% of online men use social media, on par with the 80% of online women who say they do so. But there are still some gender differences on specific platforms.

It may seem as if basic or flip phones are a thing of the past, given that 73% of teens have a smartphone. But that still leaves 15% of teens who only have a basic cellphone and 12% who have none at all, and it makes a difference in the way each group communicates.

36% of adult smartphone owners use messaging apps, while 17% use apps that automatically delete sent messages. These types of apps are adding to an already complex terrain of digital and social communication. Meanwhile, social media platforms continue to attract dedicated users.

A look at how researchers analyzed news habits on Twitter using a small but representative sample of users drawn from a national survey of U.S. adults.

Texting is the most common and frequent way that teens communicate with all types of friends, but they haven’t abandoned phone calling – especially among their closest friends.

Our latest report focuses on how teens develop and sustain friendships in the digital age, including where they meet, communicate and spend time with friends.