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The World Wide Web turned 36 on March 12, 2025. In this relatively short period of time, "going online" has become an integral part of many Americans' daily lives – at work, at home, and at leisure. We now have a generation of consumers who never know life without being online, and even older segments of the population have incorporated the Internet into their routines.

From the PC as geek "toy", desktops, laptops, mobile phones and tablets have evolved into essential tools. Consumers routinely seek out audio and editorial content online. Ever-faster connections have led to the rise of online as a primary vehicle for video entertainment – to the point where the computer and mobile devices are now referred to as "second" and "third screens" respectively.

Share of U.S. adults who say they use the internet almost constantly by age:
- 18-29: 63%
- 30-49: 54%
- 50-64: 33%
- 65+: 14%

(Source: Pew Research Center; 2026)

Percentage of U.S. adults who use different social media:
- YouTube - 84%
- Facebook - 71%
- Instagram - 50%
- TokTok - 37%
- WhatsApp - 32%
- Reddit - 26%
- Snapchat - 25%
- X (Twitter) - 21%
- Threads - 8%
- BlueSky - 4%
- Truth Social - 3%

(Source: Pew Research Center, Americans’ Social Media Use 2025)

Prefered social media of U.S. adults, based on living area:
- Urban - YouTube, 85%; Facebook, 71%; Instagram, 55%
- Suburban - YouTube, 87%; Facebook, 71%; Instagram, 54%
- Rural - YouTube, 79%; Facebook, 71%; Instagram, 37%

(Source: Pew Research Center, Americans’ Social Media Use 2025)

Percentage of U.S. adults who said they have purchased a product or service because of an ad they saw on social media, by generation:
- Gen Z - 50%
- Millennial - 38%
- Gen X - 42%
- Baby Boomer - 40%

(Source: YouGov Surveys, April 16, 2025 – May 13, 2025)

58% of Americans are daily social media users.

(Source: YouGov Profiles, June 2025)

21% of Gen Zers are daily social media users.

(Source: YouGov Profiles, June 2025)

Percentage of U.S. adults who say they ever use social media at the same time as consuming other media content, such as watching TV or listening to the radio or a podcast:
- Gen Z - 72%
- Millennials - 80%
- Gen X - 70%
- Baby boomers - 56%

(Source: YouGov Surveys, April 16, 2025 – May 13, 2025)

38% of female sports fans use social media while watching or listening to sports content, such as tweeting about the game, sharing stories, etc.

(Source: Edison Research, Sports Audio Report: Female Fans, 2024)

26% of female sports fans are following women's sports or athletes on social media compared to five years ago.

(Source: Edison Research, Sports Audio Report: Female Fans, 2024)

96% of U.S. adults say they have access to internet.

(Source: Pew Research Center, Internet, Broadband Fact Sheet 2025)

Percentage of U.S. adults who say they use the internet, by race and ethnicity:
- White - 96%
- Black - 94%
- Hispanic - 97%
- Asian - 99%

(Source: Pew Research Center, Internet, Broadband Fact Sheet 2025)

Individuals ages 65+ account for 10% of those that do not use the internet.

(Source: Pew Research Center, Internet, Broadband Fact Sheet 2025)

Percentage of U.S. adults who say they subscribe to home broadband, by age:
- 18-29 - 71%
- 30-49 - 87%
- 50-64 - 79%
- 65+ - 70%

(Source: Pew Research Center, Internet, Broadband Fact Sheet 2025)

Marketing leaders say social media drives:
- Awareness, 64%
- Customer acquisition, 60%
- Customer loyalty, 58%
- Revenue, 56%
- Decision making, 54%

(Source: Sprout Social, The Impact of Social Media Marketing, 2025)

67% of homeowners have usage of the internet.

(Source: 2025 MRI-Simmons Spring Doublebase)

Social media platforms that drive the most business impact:
- Facebook - 70%
- YouTube - 68%
- TikTok - 64%

(Source: Sprout Social, The Impact of Social Media Marketing, 2025)

Percentage of U.S. adults who say they have a lot of/some trust in the information they see on social media, by age:
- 18-29 - 50%
- 30-49 - 41%
- 50-64 - 33%
- 65+ - 24%

(Source: Pew Research Center, survey in Sept. 8-14, 2025)

59% of social media users have said they will use the same number of social media platforms in the next 6-12 months.

(Source: Nielsen 2023 Consumer Survey Report)

24% of social media users have said they will use fewer social media platforms in the next 6-12 months.

(Source: Nielsen 2023 Consumer Survey Report)

17% of social media users have said they will use more social media platforms in the next 6-12 months.

(Source: Nielsen 2023 Consumer Survey Report)

71% of sports audiences follow sports personalities on social media.

(Source: Crowd React Media, The State Sports Media 2025)

Number of internet and social media users in the United States as of January 2024 (Millions):
- Internet Users - 331M
- Social media Users - 239M

(Source: Statista, January 2024)

Consumers primary reasons for following a brand on social media:
- To stay informed about new products or services - 68%
- To have access to exclusive deals or promotions - 46%
- To content they post is enjoyable and entertainment - 45%
- To engage with the community or customers - 28%
- Because their values or mission aligns with mine - 21%

(Source: The Sprout Social Index, Break Through, 2023)

How quickly consumers expect a response from brands on social media:
- Within minutes - 16%
- Within 1-2 hours - 23%
- Same day - 30%
- Within 2 business days - 19%
- Response time does not matter - 12%

(Source: The Sprout Social Index, Break Through, 2023)

The most memorable brands on social media...:
- Respond to customers - 51%
- Prioritize original content over following trend topics - 38%
- Prioritize engaging directly with their audience vs. publishing a lot of content - 37%
- Publish timely, on-trend content - 33%
- Highlight the stories of audiences over their audiences over their own products/services - 28%
- Take risks with their content - 26%
- Collaborate with content creators and influencers - 25%
- Speak out about causes and news that align with their values - 25%

(Source: The Sprout Social Index, Break Through, 2023)

How consumers feel about brands using AI in social media:
- 42% are slightly or very apprehensive
- 34% are neutral
- 24% are slightly or very excited

(Source: The Sprout Social Index, Break Through, 2023)

Social media sites/platforms most used to watch sports and/or sports related content:
- YouTube - 87%
- Facebook - 69%
- Instagram - 62%
- TikTok - 51%
- X - 41%
- Snapchat - 27%
- Reddit - 19%

(Source: Crowd React Media, The State of Sports Media 2025)

Social media platforms used to post/comment about sports:
- Facebook - 71%
- Instagram - 52%
- YouTube - 48%
- X - 34%
- TikTok - 32%
- Snapchat - 21%
- Reddit - 13%

(Source: Crowd React Media, The State of Sports Media 2025)

Internet Service Providers used in Households:

Xfinity/Comcast – 21%
Spectrum – 20%
AT&T Internet – 13%
Verizon/Fios by Verizon – 9%
Cox – 4%
CenturyLink – 3%
Optimum – 3%
Frontier – 2%
America On-Line (AOL) – 1%

(Source: 2025 MRI-Simmons Spring Doublebase)

Twitter users by gender and whether they expect to be on the platform in a year from now:

Extremely/Very:
- Total - 40%
- Men - 47%
- Women - 31%
Somewhat:
- Total - 35%
- Men - 32%
- Women - 39%
Not very/Not at all:
- Total - 25%
- Men - 20%
- Women - 30%

(Source: MediaPost, Survey of U.S. adults conducted March 13-19, 2023)

Weekly time spent with social media on a smartphone by age (hours:minutes):

Age 18+:
- Black - 8:49
- Total - 8:01
Age 18 - 34:
- Black - 10:26
- Total - 9:27
Age 35 - 49:
- Black - 8:46
- Total - 8:23
Age 50 - 64:
- Black - 7:55
- Total - 7:17
Age 65+:
- Black - 7:05
- Total - 6:25

(Source: Nielsen Audience Measurement Data, Q2 2024)

Percentage of U.S. users of each social media platform who say they get the following...:

Getting news is a major or minor reason they use the platform:
- X (Twitter) - 65%
- TikTok - 41%
- Facebook - 37%
- Instagram - 33%
They see at least one of four kinds of news related content:
- X (Twitter) - 92%
- TikTok - 90%
- Facebook - 91%
- Instagram - 82%