Dan Ness, Principal Analyst, MetaFacts, August 20, 2023
Summary
X, formerly Twitter, experienced a decline in its U.S. user base, dropping to an 18% share by August 2023. Conversely, Meta’s user engagement broadened from 73% to 77% between 2021 and 2023, with their new offering, Instagram Threads, securing 11% of users. While most platforms, including Reddit and LinkedIn, maintained their rankings with minor growth, user loyalty metrics highlighted Facebook and Instagram’s consistent user retention. In demographic insights, LinkedIn and Nextdoor attract highly educated users, while generational data indicates Gen Z favors Twitch and Discord. These user behavior trends are crucial for technology marketers crafting targeted strategies. This TUPdate reports on the percentage of online Americans who have visited each of the major social networking sites in 2021 through 2023 and profiles each site’s users by key demographics.
Americans move on from X/Twitter
X (formerly known as Twitter) was already losing active American users before being taken over. 15.4 million American users responded by changing the channel and turning their attention elsewhere. Before the acquisition, 25% of online American adults had visited Twitter in the prior 30 days as of August 2022. This ranked X/Twitter 4th after Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Following the acquisition, our TUP 2023 survey (fielded in August 2023) found active usage of X/Twitter had plunged to 18% of online Americans, dropping it behind Pinterest and LinkedIn for 6th place and matching Reddit’s share.
Meta has been the chief beneficiary of X/Twitter’s perturbations. During this same time, Meta’s net share continued its ascent, rising from 73% in 2021 to 77% in 2023. This is based on users recently checking into Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp.
Meta’s newly released Instagram Threads quickly claimed 11% of active users. Time will tell if they continue to engage with the new experience, which is not a foregone conclusion with fickle customers who like to try things out.
Reddit and LinkedIn increased their active base by around two percentage points.
None of the major sites besides X/Twitter and Instagram Threads changed their ranked position.
How loyal are social networkers?
One of the greatest features of the web can be its undoing for any platform. Users are free to move their attention elsewhere, and they do. The average online American visited 3.5 social networking sites in 2023.
Facebook currently has the strongest position, with both the largest share and also the lowest average number of social networking sites visited. This shows that its users are being loyal (mostly) to the platform. Meta’s other property – Instagram – is in a similarly envious position, with the second-largest share and second-lowest sites-visited average.
Twitch, Instagram Threads, and Discord are the most exposed sites in terms of their users’ divided attention. These are experimenters and curious users and may be the first to leave when a site fails to meet its expectations.
Where else do they go?
One measure of where else people go can come from the largest share that visits other sites. To measure those having the most impact, we have set a threshold of attracting at least 25% of each site’s users. While Facebook has the lowest average number of sites users visit, four other sites account for more than a quarter of their users.
- Facebook – 50% Instagram, 35% TikTok, 26% Pinterest, 26% LinkedIn
- Instagram – 79% Facebook, 50% TikTok, 36% Pinterest, 31% LinkedIn, 31% X/Twitter, 29% Reddit
- TikTok – 78% Facebook, 71% Instagram, 37% Pinterest, 32% X/Twitter, 31% Reddit, 28% LinkedIn, 25% Instagram Threads
- Pinterest – 79% Facebook, 68% Instagram, 49% TikTok, 35% LinkedIn, 33% Reddit, 27% X/Twitter
- LinkedIn – 82% Facebook, 60% Instagram, 38% TikTok, 36% Pinterest, 33% Reddit, 31% X/Twitter, 27% WhatsApp
- Reddit – 73% Facebook, 67% Instagram, 51% TikTok, 41% X/Twitter, 40% Pinterest, 39% LinkedIn, 33% Discord, 23% WhatsApp
- X/Twitter – 77% Facebook, 72% Instagram, 52% TikTok, 42% Reddit, 37% LinkedIn, 33% Pinterest, 27% Discord, 21% WhatsApp
Are there educational differences?
LinkedIn and Nextdoor have the users with the highest educational attainment. 68% of LinkedIn users are college graduates or have advanced degrees. Among Nextdoor users, this share is 58%. By comparison, TikTok has the lowest educational attainment levels. 5% of recent TikTok users have not completed high school, and 25% have only completed a high school education. These are the highest share of any of the major sites visited. Similarly, at 38%, TikTok has the lowest share of users who have completed college or a more advanced degree.
Twitch and Discord have the highest share of Gen Z users. More than a third of online adults who have visited these sites were born from 1997 to 2004, so they are currently aged 18 to 25. This group includes many adult students, some of whom are trading tips about game-playing while others are exchanging academic ideas. In contrast, the lowest share of Gen Z users can be found on Nextdoor or Facebook. This group isn’t as eager to be seen along with more experienced Americans.
Millennials are in their greatest numbers on Twitch, Reddit, and Instagram Threads. Online gaming is a major pastime for this group, as are the sort of interactive discussions that can be found on Reddit, something it appears they are no longer getting from X/Twitter.
Gen X has the highest share on LinkedIn and Facebook, making up 31% and 28% of the active user base, respectively.
The Boomer/Silent generation effectively dominates Nextdoor, making up 49% of its users, and Gen Z doesn’t seem to mind that. This older generation is also in its strongest collective numbers on Facebook, representing 29% of its users.
About TUPdates
TUPdates feature analysis of current or essential technology topics. The research results showcase the TUP/Technology User Profile study, MetaFacts’ survey of a representative sample of online adults profiling the total market’s use of technology products and services. The current wave of TUP is TUP/Technology User Profile 2023, which is TUP’s 41st annual. TUPdates may also include results from previous waves of TUP.
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Indexing
Lenses: User Profile; Activities
Tables: SNSxTUPWAVE, SNSSIGMAxSNSSHARE
Tags: Activities, Age, Age Groups, Educational attainment, Facebook, Instagram, Meta, Nextdoor, Pinterest, Reddit, Social networks, Social networking, Twitter, Twitch.tv
Waves: TUP 2021, TUP 2022, TUP 2023
Item: TUP_doc_2023_0820_xtwi
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