X dominates social media landscape in US
What's the story
A recent report by the Pew Research Center has revealed that X maintains a strong presence within its specific niche of social apps focusing on short, real-time text posts. The study found that 21% of American adults have used X, despite the emergence of new platforms like Threads and Bluesky. These platforms, which were examined for the first time in this survey, have only been used by less than 10% of US adults each.
Market hold
X's resilience amid rising competition
Since Elon Musk acquired Twitter and rebranded it as X in October 2022, the space for social apps has become increasingly competitive. This is due to Musk's changes to content moderation policies and a perceived political shift of the platform. Despite these changes, X has managed to maintain a strong presence within its specific niche. The Pew report found that only 8% of US adults have used Threads compared to X's 21%.
User retention
User base remains stable over the years
The Pew report also highlights that X's user base has remained largely stable over the years. In a similar study conducted last year, 22% of US adults reported using X. This is only a slight decrease from 23% in 2021 when it was still known as Twitter. The data suggests that any decline in usage has been gradual rather than sudden or steep.
Platform growth
Other social media platforms and their growth
The Pew report also looked at other social media platforms popular among US adults. YouTube and Facebook were the most used, with 84% and 71% of adults, respectively, saying they had used them. Instagram was used by half of US adults, TikTok by 37%, WhatsApp by a third (up from 23% in 2021), Reddit by 26%, and Snapchat by a quarter.