Number of social media users worldwide from 2010 to 2021 (in billions)

Social Media Use in 2018

A majority of Americans use Facebook and YouTube, but young adults are especially heavy users of Snapchat and Instagram

A new Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults finds that the social media landscape in early 2018 is defined by a mix of long-standing trends and newly emerging narratives.

Facebook and YouTube dominate this landscape, as notable majorities of U.S. adults use each of these sites. At the same time, younger Americans (especially those ages 18 to 24) stand out for embracing a variety of platforms and using them frequently. Some 78% of 18- to 24-year-olds use Snapchat, and a sizeable majority of these users (71%) visit the platform multiple times per day. Similarly, 71% of Americans in this age group now use Instagram and close to half (45%) are Twitter users.

As has been the case since the Center began surveying about the use of different social media in 2012, Facebook remains the primary platform for most Americans. Roughly two-thirds of U.S. adults (68%) now report that they are Facebook users, and roughly three-quarters of those users access Facebook on a daily basis. With the exception of those 65 and older, a majority of Americans across a wide range of demographic groups now use Facebook.

But the social media story extends well beyond Facebook. The video-sharing site YouTube – which contains many social elements, even if it is not a traditional social media platform – is now used by nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults and 94% of 18- to 24-year-olds. And the typical (median) American reports that they use three of the eight major platforms that the Center measured in this survey.

These findings also highlight the public’s sometimes conflicting attitudes toward social media. For example, the share of social media users who say these platforms would be hard to give up has increased by 12 percentage points compared with a survey conducted in early 2014. But by the same token, a majority of users (59%) say it would not be hard to stop using these sites, including 29% who say it would not be hard at all to give up social media.

Different social media platforms show varied growth

Facebook remains the most widely used social media platform by a relatively healthy margin: some 68% of U.S. adults are now Facebook users. Other than the video-sharing platform YouTube, none of the other sites or apps measured in this survey are used by more than 40% of Americans.

The Center has asked about the use of five of these platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Pinterest) in several previous surveys of technology use. And for the most part, the share of Americans who use each of these services is similar to what the Center found in its previous survey of social media use conducted in April 2016. The most notable exception is Instagram: 35% of U.S. adults now say they use this platform, an increase of seven percentage points from the 28% who said they did in 2016.

The youngest adults stand out in their social media consumption

As was true in previous Pew Research Center surveys of social media use, there are substantial differences in social media use by age. Some 88% of 18- to 29-year-olds indicate that they use any form of social media. That share falls to 78% among those ages 30 to 49, to 64% among those ages 50 to 64 and to 37% among Americans 65 and older.

At the same time, there are pronounced differences in the use of various social media platforms within the young adult population as well. Americans ages 18 to 24 are substantially more likely to use platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter even when compared with those in their mid- to late-20s. These differences are especially notable when it comes to Snapchat: 78% of 18- to 24-year-olds are Snapchat users, but that share falls to 54% among those ages 25 to 29.

With the exception of those 65 and older, Facebook is used by a majority of Americans across a wide range of demographic groups. But other platforms appeal more strongly to certain subsets of the population. In addition to the age-related differences in the use of sites such as Instagram and Snapchat noted above, these are some of the more prominent examples:

• Pinterest remains substantially more popular with women (41% of whom say they use the site) than with men (16%).
• LinkedIn remains especially popular among college graduates and those in high-income households. Some 50% of Americans with a college degree use LinkedIn, compared with just 9% of those with a high school diploma or less.
• The messaging service WhatsApp is popular in Latin America, and this popularity also extends to Latinos in the United States – 49% of Hispanics report that they are WhatsApp users, compared with 14% of whites and 21% of blacks.

Awareness of phone addiction

Smartphone Addiction in a Modern World

FOMO is the new name clever people have given to internet addiction and our need to constantly be in touch with the world around us through our smartphones. This always-on always-connected technology has made it much easier for millions of people around the world to feed their internet addiction.

Are you a smartphone addict?

• You are driving to work and have stopped at a red light. One hand sits on the steering wheel while the other is furiously scanning your e-mails for the day.
• You are at dinner with your husband or wife, enjoying a glass of wine and conversation. Suddenly your phone vibrates, and you look down to read your latest Facebook update, while your partner stares in disbelief.
• In an office meeting you are browsing your smartphone for Twitter updates. Someone asks you a question, and when you look up, you realize that you have no idea what they just asked!
• On a picnic you are busy browsing the internet while others are sharing a joke about you!

If you answered YES to any of the above, chances are good you are addicted to your smartphone!

Almost without realizing it, internet addiction has completely insinuated itself into the fabric of our daily lives, so much so that it is like a “second skin”, or “social skin” as it is now being called. Whether we are working or playing, one thing is clear: the influence, good or bad, of smart technologies in our lives is undeniable.

However, should internet addiction take precedence over our safety while driving, being present with others, and even be allowed to affect the quality of our relationships? If you are looking for assistance with your internet addiction and other smartphone disorders, we welcome you to our community.

Here at Moodoff Day, we want to make a token gesture to bring back a little balance to our lives and remind ourselves that a world still exists outside of our smartphone and social network! Internet addiction is now a recognized disorder, and we can make a difference with your help.