In recent years, several new options have emerged in the social media universe, many of which explicitly present themselves as alternatives to more established social media platforms. Free speech ideals and heated political themes prevail on these sites, which draw praise from their users and skepticism from other Americans.
The share of Americans who say they are very or somewhat concerned about government use of people’s data has increased from 64% in 2019 to 71% today. Two-thirds (67%) of adults say they understand little to nothing about what companies are doing with their personal data, up from 59%.
About half of all U.S. adults who use TikTok have never posted a video themselves. And the top 25% of U.S. adults on the site by posting volume produce 98% of all publicly accessible videos from this group. Users who have posted videos are generally more active on the platform than non-posters.