New data from Pew Research Center’s 2025 survey offers a sharper view of how Americans use social platforms and how these patterns continue to shift across age, gender, education, and political lines. While the dominant networks remain familiar, the underlying behaviours look increasingly fragmented. Because of this, marketing teams need smarter segmentation and more adaptive content strategies. This article breaks down key findings and translates them into practical steps for brand leaders.

Platform Dominance and Shifting Attention

YouTube and Facebook still dominate the social landscape. YouTube reaches 84% of US adults, while Facebook maintains 71% penetration. Only Instagram joins them above the 50% threshold. Meanwhile, TikTok, WhatsApp, Reddit, and Snapchat sit slightly behind. Their audiences remain smaller but highly valuable due to their depth of engagement.

Marketers should not ignore this distribution. Instead, they should align media budgets with proven reach while still experimenting with emerging channels. YouTube and Facebook deserve continued investment. However, Instagram and TikTok should anchor vertical video strategies aimed at younger and more mobile-first audiences. Reddit and WhatsApp continue to grow, so they offer useful opportunities for segmented or community-driven campaigns.

Where Growth Is Actually Happening

Although Facebook and YouTube remain massive, their reach has stalled. Growth is happening elsewhere. TikTok use rose sharply from 21% in 2021 to 37% in 2025. WhatsApp climbed from 23% to 32%. Reddit jumped from 18% to 26%. This shows where cultural momentum sits.

Brands targeting younger or digitally dynamic audiences should increase their visibility on TikTok and Instagram. Because WhatsApp and Reddit support interest-led behaviour, they provide useful environments for conversational marketing or community engagement. Although reach alone does not guarantee relevance, growing platforms often produce the strongest early ROI when brands act before competition peaks.

Age Still Determines Where People Spend Time

Age remains the most powerful predictor of platform choice. Younger adults use Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and Reddit at far higher rates. Eighty percent of adults aged 18–29 use Instagram compared with only 19% of those 65 and older. Only YouTube and Facebook manage to cut across every age bracket.

Marketers should tailor channel selection accordingly. Gen Z and millennials respond well to authenticity, humour, and rapid storytelling. Meanwhile, Gen X and Boomers prefer value-driven, straightforward content on Facebook and YouTube. Because daily behaviour differs across generations, brands need audience-specific content formats rather than one-size-fits-all strategies.

Gender, Race, Ethnicity, and Education Shape Platform Habits

Gender gaps persist. Women favour Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, while men gravitate toward Reddit and X. Differences across race and ethnicity are equally meaningful. Hispanic, Asian, and Black adults use Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp more than White adults. Education also plays a role, with highly educated segments using Reddit, WhatsApp, and Instagram at above-average rates.

Marketers should adjust both format and messaging. Instagram and WhatsApp matter for multicultural targeting. Reddit can support deeper, more technical conversations with male or highly educated audiences. Gender-informed and culture-informed strategies are increasingly necessary for performance outcomes.

Politics and Platform Preference

Political identity continues to influence platform choice. Democrats lean toward WhatsApp, Reddit, TikTok, Bluesky, and Threads. Republicans prefer X and Truth Social. Although X’s user base has shifted over the years, it retains a unique position in political discourse.

Brands must approach political segmentation with caution. This is especially important for organisations working in finance, healthcare, energy, or other policy-adjacent sectors. Platform choice can shape perception, so alignment with audience tendencies matters.

Daily Use and Engagement Frequency

Daily behaviour highlights where users show real dependency. Half of US adults visit Facebook and YouTube every day. Facebook, however, leads in intensity, with 37% returning several times per day. TikTok sees 24% daily use, mostly from younger audiences. X trails far behind at 10%.

Always-on content strategies should align with this activity. Facebook and YouTube offer consistent reach for evergreen posts and longer-form storytelling. TikTok demands fast, trend-led content built for quick bursts of attention. Older Facebook audiences expect fewer but more meaningful posts, while younger TikTok users reward rapid, reactive updates.

What Marketing Leaders Should Do Now

The 2025 social landscape requires agility. Digital behaviour is splitting along demographic, cultural, and political lines. Because of this, brands must diversify their channel mix and avoid relying on a single dominant platform. They should segment audiences more precisely, test emerging channels such as Threads and Bluesky, and refine content formats by age group.

Short-form video remains critical for younger consumers. Meanwhile, value-centric and educational content resonates with older ones. These demographic differences represent strategic opportunities. Brands that adapt quickly will gain relevance and long-term digital resilience.