Facebook still has its fans; it's the most used social media network in terms of total active users. YouTube is close behind, and appeals to a broad set of ages. But neither have as many users spending as much time with them per day as TikTok or—get this—Tumblr, according to a survey of 1,000 US adult social media users conducted by Reviews.org.
People were asked the initial question of what social media they use, but they were also asked which social media is the most addictive. Facebook is on top with almost one-third of people, but the second most addictive is TikTok. YouTube is in third.
But Facebook being addictive doesn't mean it's as engaging. TikTok users spend the most time watching the videos scroll, for an average of 2 hours, 44 minutes a day. The second most engaged set of users are the very few using Tumblr, at 2 hours, 41 minutes a day. YouTube is just below that, and Facebook is in fourth, at just over 2 hours a day.
That's a lot of time, especially because the above-average abuser of social media (24% of people) is only on social media for 3 hours a day, tops. Most people (57%) keep it under 3 hours; a minority (14%) keep it under 30 minutes.
Meta's Threads "has relatively low usage across all generations, indicating that it may not have gained mainstream popularity" after an initial surge, Reviews.org finds. That said, those who are on it are quite dedicated. "The upstart Twitter rival from Meta has more average screen time minutes than Twitter itself," the survey finds, with Americans spending an average of 1 hour, 56 minutes on Threads per day, compared with 1 hour, 38 minutes on Twitter.
Threads is also the most checked social media apps (3.6 times per hour) followed by TikTok and Tumblr. Counting every social media app, Americans open them at a rate of 2.5 times per hour.
The survey also asked people why they check so often and what effect it has. A quarter check out of fear of missing out (FOMO), and almost as many feel pressure to present themselves on social media in a certain way. Half said social media has negative effects, 15% said it impacts them negatively directly, while a quarter also said it makes them feel "happy and satisfied." Fifty-nine percent said social media contributes positively to their social lives and relationships. There's no one way to look at it.
For more, including the breakdown of generational use of the social media apps, read the full report at Reviews.org.