YouTube Is One of the Only Social Media Platforms to Show Growth Since 2019

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Photo Credit: Christian Wiediger

YouTube is one of the only social-media platforms that managed to expand its market presence as a share of adult users in the United States between 2019 and 2021, according to a newly published survey from the Pew Research Center.

Pew shed light upon this and other interesting social-media trends in a study entitled “Social Media Use in 2021.” Per the breakdown, Google-owned YouTube was one of two surveyed platforms that experienced a usership uptick across 2019 and late January to early February of this year.

81 percent of participants said that they “ever use” YouTube as of 2021, against 73 percent in 2019. Reddit, the only other surveyed platform that experienced “statistically significant growth” between the periods, saw its user share jump from 11 percent to 18 percent.

The survey’s 1,502 respondents were also asked whether they use Facebook (69 percent said that they do), Instagram (40 percent), Pinterest (31 percent), LinkedIn (28 percent), Snapchat (25 percent), Twitter (23 percent), WhatsApp (23 percent), TikTok (21 percent), Reddit (18 percent), and Nextdoor (13 percent).

Especially interesting, given YouTube’s formidable presence in the music-video space, is that 54 percent of users stated that they visit the platform daily, whereas 36 percent of respondents said that they visit the platform multiple times per day. Moreover, a full 95 percent of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 enjoy content on YouTube, per the survey.

The figure dipped to 91 percent in the 30-49 age group and 83 percent in the 50-64 category, before declining to 49 percent for individuals age 65 and over. Significantly, YouTube bested the other surveyed platforms by double digits in each age classification, with the sole exception of Facebook and its 50 percent of U.S. adults age 65 and up.

Facebook also laid claim to the second-highest totals in every other age group (aside from 65 and up, which it led, once again) – excepting 18-29, which its Instagram subsidiary took 71 percent to 70 percent.

For additional reference, 49 percent of Facebook users relayed that they access the platform “several times a day,” against 45 percent for Snapchat, 38 percent for Instagram, and 30 percent for Twitter. 53 percent of the latter’s users indicated that they turn to the platform “less frequently” than once a day – compared to 45 percent for YouTube, 41 percent for Instagram, 40 percent for Snapchat, and 29 percent for Facebook.

Worth noting in conclusion is that Twitter reportedly discussed a potential $4 billion acquisition of audio-driven social platform Clubhouse, which ultimately opted to secure additional funding. Instagram appears to be adding features designed to compete with TikTok, and UnitedMasters late last month completed a $50 million funding round, with support from backers including Apple and Google parent Alphabet.