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Social Media

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Influencers make a social media video about Sponge Cake the cat in New York City's Times Square on Jan. 19, 2025. (Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images)

What we know about TikTok content creators

On TikTok, Americans often follow people who have a strong social media presence. These creator accounts make up about half of all accounts that U.S. users follow.

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Social Media

Publications

  • short reads

    The Kevin Bacon Effect

    At two degrees of separation (friends of friends), Facebook users surveyed on average can reach 150,000 other Facebook users.

  • report

    Teens & Online Video

    Shooting, sharing, streaming and chatting: social media using teens are the most enthusiastic users of many online video capabilities

  • presentation

    The New Environment for Foundations

    Lee Rainie spoke about how a advances in digital technology, rapid changes in how citizens access and engage with news and information, and the continued reshaping of the traditional media are dramatically altering the environment in which foundat…

  • presentation

    News in a networked world

    Lee Rainie will discuss the Project’s latest findings about how people use the internet, smartphones, and social media tools to get news, share news, and create news.

  • report

    Instagram, Facebook and Media Controversies Lead on Social Media

    The sale of the photo networking site Instagram to Facebook for $1 billion gained attention on both blogs and Twitter last week as users were startled by the large price tag. Also, three separate media controversies kept the aftermath of the Trayvon Martin case in the news six weeks after the incident occurred.

  • report

    Digital differences

    While increased internet adoption and the rise of mobile connectivity have reduced many gaps in technology access over the past decade, for some groups digital disparities still remain

  • short reads

    Facebook and Twitter Are Minor Drivers for News

    Despite the growing importance of social media, just 9% of digital news consumers say they “very often” follow news recommendations from Facebook or Twitter on any of the three main types of digital devices (computers, smartphones or tablets).

  • report

    How Blogs, Twitter and Mainstream Media Have Handled the Trayvon Martin Case

    It took several weeks after the killing of teenager Trayvon Martin before the story exploded in the media. A new PEJ report reveals how social and mainstream media platforms focused on different elements of the controversy and how ideology influenced coverage on the cable and radio talk shows.