Pew Research have recently released a report into young people’s use of social media and technology, and have highlighted some interesting trends for investors (and parents) to note.
The headline is clear, TikTok has established itself as the top social media platform for American teenagers while Facebook continues to lose share in the younger age brackets. But TikTok still has one giant it is yet to conquer – YouTube.
In one question, Pew asked respondents if they ever use a particular app or website. Just 32% said they use Facebook, down from 71% in the 2015 survey. Snapchat is at 59%, Instagram at 62% and TikTok at 67%. But high above them all, 95% of American teenagers surveyed said they use YouTube.
Making up the tail of the survey, Twitter comes in at 23%, Twitch at 20%, WhatsApp at 17%, Reddit with 14% and finally Tumblr with 5%.
Looking at this data, one conclusion is clear. Video is trumping text amongst the next generation. YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat and more and more Instagram are video-first platforms. Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and Reddit are not. And this trend is only likely to accelerate as Generation Alpha (the generation following Gen Z) start getting smartphones.
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