When it comes to social media usage in the United States, companies owned by Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)(NASDAQ:GOOGL) and Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) reign supreme based on a new poll. Platforms owned by Elon Musk and President Donald Trump score significantly lower in the poll.
YouTube, Facebook Dominate Social Media
Alphabet’s acquisition of YouTube for $1.65 billion in 2006 may be one of the greatest deals of all time. The segment currently has annual revenue of more than $35 billion. It’s also one of the most used social media platforms in the U.S.
A poll from Pew Research conducted in the first half of 2025 found that YouTube is the most used social media platform in the U.S. with 84% of people saying they use it regularly.
Ranking behind YouTube were Facebook (71%) and Instagram (50%), two platforms that are owned by Meta Platforms. WhatsApp, which is also owned by Meta Platforms ranked fifth at 32%.
Here are the full rankings:
- YouTube: 84%
- Facebook: 71%
- Instagram: 50%
- TikTok: 37%
- WhatsApp: 32%
- Reddit: 26%
- X (Twitter): 21%
- Threads: 8%
- Bluesky: 4%
- Truth Social: 3%
Trailing significantly behind the Alphabet and Meta Platforms-owned platforms were TikTok, Reddit (NYSE:RDDT) and X.
The poll also asked about three of the newer social media platforms for the first time with less than 10% of Americans polled saying they regularly use Threads, Bluesky or Truth Social. Threads is also owned by Meta Platforms, while Truth Social is owned by Trump Media & Technology Group (NASDAQ:DJT), which counts the president as the top shareholder.
X, which was previously known as Twitter, is owned by Elon Musk, who is the world's richest person. The platform remains popular among investors and those looking for news, but counts less than 50% of Americans as regular users based on the findings of the poll.
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Social Media Trends
While YouTube and Facebook top the list, they show stable user growth in recent years in the past Pew Research polls.
TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp and Reddit were highlighted in the report as showing growth in use among U.S. users.
Here's a look at the current usage and the usage reported back in 2021:
- TikTok: 37% today, 21% in 2021
- Instagram: 50% today, 40% in 2021
- WhatsApp: 32% today, 23% in 2021
- Reddit: 26% today, 18% in 2021
Usage by younger Americans has helped these platforms growth, based on the results of the poll. Among people aged 18-29 Instagram ranks second at 80%, trailing only YouTube (95%). TikTok also ranked fourth at 63% in the age demographic.
Among users aged 30-49, TikTok was third at 44%, followed by WhatsApp at 40%.
X ranked eighth in both the 18-29 and 30-49 age demographics, while ranking sixth in the 50-64 and fifth in the 65+ category.
Truth Social ranked last in the 18-29 and 30-49 age demographics, while ranking 10th in the 50-64 demographic and eighth in the 65+ category.
Only YouTube and Facebook scored over 50% usage across each of the four age demographic, as Instagram ranked lower with older users, including only being used regularly by 19% of users 65 or older.
Users who identified as Republican or leaning Republican were more likely to use Truth Social (6%), but the platform still ranked nearly last, beating out only Bluesky, which might be a surprise given Trump's ownership and frequent posting on the platform. Only 1% of Democrats or Democratic-leaning people said they use Truth Social.
Republicans were more likely to use X at 24% than users who reported being Democrats or Democrat-leaning (19%).
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Image: Shutterstock
