The use of online platforms has hardly changed since 2016 - Online Platform Use Has Barely Budged Since 2016

Published on: April 15, 2019 / Update from: April 15, 2019 - Author: Konrad Wolfenstein

While many tech giants have lost credibility and trust in the eyes of the public, they have not lost many users. Between 2012 and 2015, every platform Pew surveyed healthy growth in the number of U.S. adults who said they used these social networks. From 2016 to 2019, the proportion of people reporting use of their online platform was largely absent. Facebook and YouTube remain the most used social networks, with nearly seven in 10 respondents using Facebook and nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults reporting YouTube use.

Instagram is the only exception to this trend. Between 2016 and 2019, the number of respondents who use the platform rose by 32 percent. The 'Gram' (derived from Instagram), as it is known, is a special favorite among the young people who is not represented in this survey.

While many tech giants have lost credibility and trust in the eyes of the public, they haven't lost many users. Between 2012 and 2015, each platform surveyed by Pew experienced healthy growth in the number of US adults who said they use these social networks. From 2016 to 2019, the share of people reporting their online platform use had mostly flatlined. Facebook and YouTube remain the most heavily used social networks, with nearly seven out of ten respondents using Facebook, and almost three-quarters of US adults reporting YouTube use.

Instagram is the only exception to this trend. Between 2016 and 2019, there was a 32 percent uptick in the number of respondents who say they use the platform. The gram (derived from Instagram), as it is known colloquially, is a particular favorite among teens, not represented in this survey.

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