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Today around seven-in-ten 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 over the past decade below.

Social media use over time

When Pew Research Center began tracking social media adoption in 2005, just 5% of American adults used at least one of these platforms. By 2011 that share had risen to half of all Americans, and today 72% of the public uses some type of social media.

U.S. adults
3/21/2005 5%
12/8/2005 8%
8/31/2006 11%
5/11/2008 21%
8/10/2008 26%
8/31/2008 25%
12/4/2008 27%
12/20/2008 26%
4/19/2009 36%
9/14/2009 37%
12/27/2009 42%
1/19/2010 43%
5/30/2010 48%
9/13/2010 46%
11/24/2010 45%
11/28/2010 46%
12/21/2010 47%
5/22/2011 50%
8/26/2011 50%
2/19/2012 53%
8/7/2012 59%
12/9/2012 54%
5/19/2013 61%
7/14/2013 60%
9/30/2013 63%
1/26/2014 62%
7/12/2015 65%
11/6/2016 69%
1/10/2018 69%
2/7/2019 72%

Pew Research Center

Who uses social media

As more Americans have adopted social media, the social media user base has also grown more representative of the broader population. Young adults were among the earliest social media adopters and continue to use these sites at high levels, but usage by older adults has increased in recent years.

18-29 30-49 50-64 65+
3/21/2005 7% 6% 4% 3%
12/8/2005 16% 9% 5% 2%
8/31/2006 41% 6% 3% 0%
5/11/2008 60% 21% 7% 2%
8/10/2008 65% 27% 10% 3%
8/31/2008 68% 27% 9% 2%
12/4/2008 67% 30% 12% 2%
12/20/2008 59% 28% 8% 3%
4/19/2009 70% 42% 20% 5%
9/14/2009 67% 44% 21% 6%
12/27/2009 78% 47% 25% 8%
1/19/2010 76% 51% 26% 7%
5/30/2010 82% 53% 37% 11%
9/13/2010 80% 52% 31% 9%
11/24/2010 74% 54% 33% 11%
11/28/2010 78% 54% 33% 14%
12/21/2010 76% 55% 36% 12%
5/22/2011 79% 61% 38% 14%
8/26/2011 82% 59% 36% 12%
2/19/2012 82% 64% 39% 16%
8/7/2012 88% 68% 48% 22%
5/19/2013 87% 72% 50% 24%
7/14/2013 87% 72% 49% 21%
9/30/2013 89% 74% 54% 27%
1/26/2014 84% 77% 52% 27%
7/12/2015 90% 77% 51% 35%
11/6/2016 86% 80% 64% 34%
1/10/2018 88% 78% 64% 37%
2/7/2019 90% 82% 69% 40%

Pew Research Center

White Black Hispanic
3/21/2005 5% 4%
12/8/2005 8% 7%
8/31/2006 9% 11%
5/11/2008 19% 21%
8/10/2008 21% 32%
8/31/2008 22% 25%
12/4/2008 26% 25%
12/20/2008 24% 27%
4/19/2009 35% 33%
9/14/2009 39% 33%
12/27/2009 42% 42%
1/19/2010 41% 44%
5/30/2010 46% 51%
9/13/2010 47% 41% 40%
11/24/2010 45% 43% 39%
11/28/2010 47% 40% 44%
12/21/2010 48% 41% 44%
5/22/2011 50% 46% 51%
8/26/2011 51% 49% 45%
2/19/2012 53% 48% 51%
8/7/2012 59% 58% 58%
12/9/2012 54% 50% 53%
5/19/2013 60% 64% 61%
7/14/2013 56% 57%
9/30/2013 62% 58% 66%
1/26/2014 59% 61% 66%
7/12/2015 65% 56% 65%
11/6/2016 69% 63% 74%
1/10/2018 68% 69% 72%
2/7/2019 73% 69% 70%

Pew Research Center

Men Women
3/21/2005 6% 4%
12/8/2005 10% 8%
8/31/2006 13% 10%
5/11/2008 21% 22%
8/10/2008 25% 27%
8/31/2008 25% 24%
12/4/2008 26% 29%
12/20/2008 25% 26%
4/19/2009 33% 38%
9/14/2009 36% 37%
12/27/2009 38% 45%
1/19/2010 39% 46%
5/30/2010 44% 52%
9/13/2010 42% 49%
11/24/2010 39% 50%
11/28/2010 42% 50%
12/21/2010 44% 50%
5/22/2011 47% 54%
8/26/2011 50% 50%
2/19/2012 50% 56%
8/7/2012 54% 64%
12/9/2012 50% 58%
5/19/2013 59% 63%
7/14/2013 57% 62%
9/30/2013 60% 66%
1/26/2014 60% 63%
7/12/2015 62% 68%
11/6/2016 66% 72%
1/10/2018 65% 73%
2/7/2019 65% 78%

Pew Research Center

Less than $30,000 $30,000-$49,999 $50,000-$74,999 $75,000+
3/21/2005 3% 6% 8% 7%
12/8/2005 5% 9% 9% 15%
8/31/2006 8% 16% 9% 10%
5/11/2008 23% 23% 19% 25%
8/10/2008 27% 28% 28% 30%
8/31/2008 22% 26% 33% 28%
12/4/2008 24% 34% 27% 35%
12/20/2008 26% 29% 27% 32%
4/19/2009 30% 39% 43% 47%
9/14/2009 32% 40% 43% 50%
12/27/2009 37% 43% 47% 53%
1/19/2010 39% 43% 48% 49%
5/30/2010 42% 54% 50% 60%
9/13/2010 38% 48% 54% 63%
11/24/2010 39% 46% 53% 57%
11/28/2010 40% 50% 50% 58%
12/21/2010 39% 52% 59% 60%
5/22/2011 42% 60% 56% 66%
8/26/2011 42% 54% 55% 64%
2/19/2012 46% 58% 57% 68%
8/7/2012 55% 59% 61% 73%
12/9/2012 48% 56% 60% 65%
5/19/2013 57% 63% 69% 68%
7/14/2013 52% 59% 63% 71%
9/30/2013 58% 64% 70% 73%
1/26/2014 58% 64% 67% 74%
7/12/2015 56% 69% 72% 78%
11/6/2016 60% 71% 73% 78%
1/10/2018 63% 74% 74% 77%
2/7/2019 68% 70% 83% 78%

Pew Research Center

High school or less Some college College graduate
3/21/2005 3% 5% 10%
12/8/2005 5% 10% 13%
8/31/2006 9% 17% 9%
5/11/2008 18% 29% 21%
8/10/2008 22% 32% 29%
8/31/2008 19% 28% 32%
12/4/2008 20% 38% 33%
12/20/2008 19% 35% 32%
4/19/2009 27% 44% 44%
9/14/2009 27% 44% 48%
12/27/2009 29% 53% 55%
1/19/2010 32% 54% 50%
5/30/2010 37% 58% 59%
9/13/2010 34% 55% 57%
11/24/2010 33% 55% 56%
11/28/2010 36% 54% 56%
12/21/2010 35% 56% 60%
5/22/2011 39% 58% 63%
8/26/2011 39% 64% 59%
2/19/2012 41% 65% 64%
8/7/2012 48% 68% 69%
12/9/2012 44% 62% 62%
5/19/2013 52% 67% 69%
7/14/2013 47% 67% 71%
9/30/2013 51% 70% 73%
1/26/2014 50% 71% 69%
7/12/2015 54% 70% 76%
11/6/2016 59% 73% 78%
1/10/2018 60% 72% 79%
2/7/2019 64% 74% 79%

Pew Research Center

Urban Suburban Rural
3/21/2005 6% 5% 3%
12/8/2005 10% 8% 6%
8/31/2006 14% 10% 10%
5/11/2008 24% 22% 16%
8/10/2008 30% 25% 19%
8/31/2008 29% 24% 18%
12/4/2008 30% 28% 21%
12/20/2008 24% 19% 14%
4/19/2009 29% 33% 21%
9/14/2009 33% 31% 28%
12/27/2009 45% 43% 34%
1/19/2010 45% 43% 35%
5/30/2010 53% 50% 39%
9/13/2010 48% 50% 32%
11/24/2010 48% 46% 40%
11/28/2010 50% 46% 41%
12/21/2010 51% 49% 39%
5/22/2011 53% 52% 44%
8/26/2011 53% 51% 42%
2/19/2012 56% 54% 45%
8/7/2012 60% 61% 50%
12/9/2012 56% 55% 47%
5/19/2013 64% 61% 56%
7/14/2013 64% 60% 49%
9/30/2013 66% 63% 55%
1/26/2014 63% 64% 53%
7/12/2015 64% 68% 58%
11/6/2016 69% 71% 60%
1/10/2018 75% 69% 59%
2/7/2019 76% 72% 66%

Pew Research Center

YouTube and Facebook are the most-widely used online platforms, and its user base is most broadly representative of the population as a whole. Smaller shares of Americans use sites such as Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Facebook Pinterest Instagram LinkedIn Twitter Snapchat YouTube WhatsApp Reddit
8/5/2012 54% 10% 9% 16% 13%
8/7/2012 14%
12/9/2012 13% 11% 13%
12/16/2012 57%
5/19/2013 15%
7/14/2013 16%
9/16/2013 57% 17% 14% 17% 14%
9/30/2013 16%
1/26/2014 16%
9/21/2014 58% 22% 21% 23% 19%
4/12/2015 62% 26% 24% 22% 20%
4/4/2016 68% 26% 28% 25% 21%
1/10/2018 68% 29% 35% 25% 24% 27% 73% 22%
2/7/2019 69% 28% 37% 27% 22% 24% 73% 20% 11%

Pew Research Center

Who uses each social media platform

Usage of the major social media platforms varies by factors such as age, gender and educational attainment.

% of U.S. adults who use each social media platform

Facebook Instagram LinkedIn
Total 69% 37% 27%
Men 63% 31% 29%
Women 75% 43% 24%
Ages 18-29 79% 67% 28%
30-49 79% 47% 37%
50-64 68% 23% 24%
65+ 46% 8% 11%
White 70% 33% 28%
Black 70% 40% 24%
Hispanic 69% 51% 16%
High school or less 61% 33% 9%
Some college 75% 37% 26%
College graduate 74% 43% 51%
Urban 73% 46% 33%
Suburban 69% 35% 30%
Rural 66% 21% 10%

Source: Survey conducted Jan. 8 to Feb. 7, 2019.

Pew Research Center

% of U.S. adults who use each social media platform

Twitter Pinterest Snapchat
Total 22% 28% 24%
Men 24% 15% 24%
Women 21% 42% 24%
Ages 18-29 38% 34% 62%
30-49 26% 35% 25%
50-64 17% 27% 9%
65+ 7% 15% 3%
White 21% 33% 22%
Black 24% 27% 28%
Hispanic 25% 22% 29%
High school or less 13% 19% 22%
Some college 24% 32% 29%
College graduate 32% 38% 20%
Urban 26% 30% 29%
Suburban 22% 30% 20%
Rural 13% 26% 20%

Source: Source: Survey conducted Jan. 8 to Feb. 7, 2019.

Pew Research Center

% of U.S. adults who use each social media platform

YouTube WhatsApp Reddit
Total 73% 20% 11%
Men 78% 21% 15%
Women 68% 19% 8%
Ages 18-29 91% 23% 22%
30-49 87% 31% 14%
50-64 70% 16% 6%
65+ 38% 3% 1%
White 71% 13% 12%
Black 77% 24% 4%
Hispanic 78% 42% 14%
High school or less 64% 18% 6%
Some college 79% 14% 14%
College graduate 80% 28% 15%
Urban 77% 24% 11%
Suburban 74% 19% 13%
Rural 64% 10% 8%

Source: Source: Survey conducted Jan. 8 to Feb. 7, 2019.

Pew Research Center

How often Americans use social media sites

For many users, social media is part of their daily routine. Roughly three-quarters of Facebook users – and around six-in-ten Instagram users – visit these sites at least once a day.

Platform Less often Weekly Daily
Facebook 9% 17% 74%
Snapchat 22% 17% 61%
Instagram 16% 21% 63%
Twitter 29% 29% 42%
YouTube 17% 32% 51%

Pew Research Center

Find out more

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

10 facts about Americans and Facebook May 16, 2019
Social media usage in the U.S. in 2019 April 10, 2019
Millennials stand out for their technology use, but older generations also embrace digital life May 2, 2018
Americans’ complicated feelings about social media in an era of privacy concerns March 27, 2018
Social Media Use in 2018 March 1, 2018
The Future of Truth and Misinformation Online Oct. 19, 2017
The Future of Free Speech, Trolls, Anonymity and Fake News Online March 29, 2017

All reports and blog posts related to social media.