Since the advent of social media, we have seen platforms rise and dominate while others struggle to leave an impact. While some platforms were popular in the past, they struggled to maintain momentum, and were quickly overtaken. Additionally, social media is experiencing many changes. 

When creating a social media marketing strategy, brands must understand the rising social media platforms. New platforms are being developed, while others are shifting their focus to niche audiences. Understanding where to focus has become crucial, especially with social media users spread across social media platforms. This article looks at the social media platforms dominating different demographics.

Social Media Usage By Demographic

Different age groups in the U.S. have different preferences for their favorite social media platforms. These are:

• 18–29 years. 93% of users in this age group prefer YouTube. This is followed by Instagram at 76%, Facebook at 68%, and Snapchat at 65%.
• 30–49 years. In this age group, YouTube is the most popular at 94%, followed by Facebook at 78%, Instagram at 66%, and Pinterest at 43%.
• 50–64 years. 86% of this age group watch YouTube, followed by Facebook at 70%, Instagram at 36%, and LinkedIn at 30%.
• Over 65. In this age group, YouTube is the most popular at 65%, followed by Facebook at 59%, Pinterest at 22%, and Instagram at 19%.

Millennials are the most active age group on social media, with 69.2% using social media platforms. However, Gen Z spend the most time on social media—particularly females aged 16 to 24—with an average of 2 hours and 59 minutes on social media. This is followed by female millennials aged between 25 and 30, who spend an average of 2 hours and 50 minutes on social media.

Social Media Usage and Audience Demographic 

When crafting your 2025 social media strategy, you need to understand the usage of each demographic. This is as follows:

Facebook Usage and Audience Demographic

Facebook will still be the most popular social media platform globally in 2025, with over 3 billion users worldwide. The most significant demographic on Facebook is between 25 and 34, making 31.1% in 2024. Regarding gender distribution, males make the highest number of Facebook users at 56.8%, while females make 43.2%. The average user spends 32 minutes on Facebook each day. However, YouTube has overtaken Facebook as the most popular social media platform in the United States. 

By 2027, Facebook will still be the biggest social media platform, expected to exceed 3.1 billion monthly users. Facebook will remain the most preferred platform for marketers and consumers as it maintains its sizable global presence before 2027. However, Facebook’s popularity among younger audiences is waning. Most users aged 18 to 24 spend only 22 minutes daily on the platform. Instead, these age groups prefer platforms like Snapchat and TikTok for daily interactions.

Instagram Usage and Audience Demographics

Instagram continues to be a highly popular social media platform with over 2 billion active users. At 31.7%, most Instagram users are Gen Zs aged between 18 and 24. Gen Zs and Millennials make up 60% of Instagram users. 

Most Instagram users are male at 50.6%, while females make up 49.4% of the demographic. That means the gender balance on Instagram is evenly distributed, making the platform an excellent space for engaging an active and broad user base. The average time spent on Instagram is 32 minutes.

Instagram is an effective platform for marketers who want to make shopping-driven decisions because 61% of users use the social media platform for purchases, making it a top platform for product discovery. Many Gen Z (72%) also use Instagram for customer service. Therefore, you must have responsive customer service when marketing products on Instagram.

YouTube Usage and Audience Demographics

With 2.5 million active monthly users, YouTube is the second most popular social media platform after Facebook. The largest group of YouTube users is aged between 23 and 25, comprising 21.7% of the total audience demographic. Regarding gender distribution, 54% of users are male, while 46% are female. The average YouTube user spends 49 minutes on the platform daily, meaning it has the highest user retention of all social media platforms.

How users access YouTube is also changing, with 34% of users in the United Kingdom using the platform on TV. This indicates that many YouTube users are now moving toward content consumption on larger screens. YouTube is predominantly used as a source of entertainment rather than social commerce. This means brands must find the right balance between advertisement and entertainment on YouTube.

Many YouTube users also prefer long-form content. Statistics indicate that 51% of YouTube users prefer longer brand videos. However, shorter content, ranging between 31 and 60 seconds, is also quite popular. Therefore, brands must balance long-form and short content to increase engagement on their YouTube channel. Doing so can enable them to cater to different audience preferences.

TikTok Usage and Audience Demographic

TikTok is also a popular social media platform with over 2 billion users. The platform’s largest audience demographic (35.3%) is aged between 25 and 34. While Gen Z drove the initial explosion of TikTok, millennials are also on the platform. Regarding the gender balance on TikTok, 55.7% of users are male and the females make up 44.3%. 

While the platform is set to surpass Facebook, it could close the gap soon. 63% of Gen Z’s TikTok users say they use the platform to get news, while another 77% suggest they use TikTok for product discovery. That means if you want to tap into the TikTok audience, you can create entertaining content and brand recommendations.

On average, TikTok users spend 47.3 minutes daily on the platform, the second highest amount of time spent on a social media platform after YouTube. This makes the platform a good choice for brands that want to capture and hold their audience’s attention. The gender balance on TikTok is also shifting as men are more on the platform than women. This is a departure from the past when females previously dominated the platform. This data can help brands develop TikTok marketing ideas.

X Usage and Audience Demographics

With over 611 million active users, X, formerly Twitter, is among the most popular social media platforms. The largest Twitter demographic is 25 to 34, at 36.6%. The gender distribution on Twitter consists of males at 60%, while females make up 40%. Users on X spend an average of 30 minutes on the platform.

X can be an excellent platform for engaging with your audience. Statistics indicate that 35% of X users interact with brands on the platform daily. On the other hand, 23% of Twitter users interact with brands several times a week. If your brand consistently shows up on the platform and taps into Twitter engagement, it can quickly build a stronger connection. Brands should understand this data to use Twitter marketing to engage and grow followers.

LinkedIn Usage and Demographic

With over 1 billion users, LinkedIn is among the biggest social media platforms. The largest audience demographic on LinkedIn consists of the age group of 25 to 34, making up 50.6% of the audience demographic. When it comes to gender distribution, 56.4% of users are males, while 43.6% consist of females. The average user on LinkedIn spends 11 minutes and 19 seconds.

Therefore, unlike what many think, it is not only old folks who are looking to build professional networks. Millennials are the majority on the platform, and Gen Zs are joining fast. 53% of LinkedIn users are from high-income homes, meaning it’s one of the best platforms for targeting users with higher buying power.

Reports indicate that LinkedIn users search for value for money rather than content advertisements. Therefore, brands should provide educational content, community management, and customer support. Focusing on delivering value will help them build more meaningful connections on their LinkedIn marketing strategy.

Pinterest Usage and Audience Demographic

Pinterest has 553 million monthly users, 46% of whom are Gen Zs aged between 18 and 24. The platform users are predominantly female at 69.4%, compared to men at 22.6%, while the unspecified accounts for 8% of users. The average time spent on Pinterest each day is 14 minutes.

While the platform usage dipped in 2022 after it was affected by the Google algorithm update and shifting user behaviors after the pandemic, the platform is bouncing back. It is attracting a growing and diverse audience. Though the time spent on the platform is low, it can still be a good choice for product discovery. This is because 80% of users suggest discovering new products on the platform.

Gen Zs are growingly showing interest in Pinterest, with 52% of their global audience comprising this demographic. Unlike other platforms where Gen Zs use the platform for entertainment, they predominantly use Pinterest to search, save, and Shop. Statistics indicate that Gen Z users want to see their favorite brands use Pinterest more. 

Other statistics suggest that 51% of Pinterest users find the platform more favorable than other platforms. That means Pinterest marketing is an excellent choice for boosting the perception of your brand and building a stronger connection with your audience.

Snapchat Usage and Audience Demographic

While it’s not among the most talked-about platforms, Snapchat is also a big social media platform with over 453 million users as of 2024. 37.8% of Snapchat users are between 18 and 24 years old. About 40% of Snapchat users are Gen Z, and the usage among this demographic keeps growing. The gender demographic is almost balanced, with males making 50% of users while females are 49.1%. On average, Snapchat users spend 24 minutes on the platform.

Snapchat isn’t popular among users over 35 years of age. This means it can be an excellent choice for brands looking to reach a younger demographic. Even when a brand isn’t active on the platform, it can still use Snapchat for trendspotting.

Reddit Usage and Audience Demographic

Reddit has over 49 million active monthly users, with the largest age group (46%) between 18 and 29. The platform’s audience is predominantly male, with 59.8% males and 39.1% females. On average, users spend 18.15 minutes on Reddit.

With Gen Z making the largest share of users on Reddit, it can be an excellent choice for reaching a highly engaged audience of younger demographics. Most Reddit users suggest they are on the platform because of its niche communities, in-depth discussions, and authentic engagement. Therefore, it can be an excellent platform for brands looking to engage with niche communities.

While the average of 18 minutes spent on Reddit may look low, this isn’t bad for a platform without endless scrolling. Redditors spend time interacting, reading, and commenting on the platform, making it a good choice for deep-dive content and organic discussions. The gender on Reddit is predominantly male, but women also join in large numbers, reducing the gap.

Why Brands Must Understand Audience Demographics

You now understand the social media demographic more broadly with the above numbers. While this can give you a good starting point, you must also study your brand and audience, as you might have a different audience behavior. Therefore, study your social media insights compared with your demographic. When you understand where your audience is primarily active and their engagement level, you can better decide where to reach them easily.

Understanding social media usage and demographics enables a better connection with your audience. You can also run well-optimized campaigns and drive meaningful engagement. The relevant audience demographic data can help in:

• Audience segmentation. You can better segment your audience into different categories before personalizing your content to their needs. For instance, you can categorize your audience into millennials, Gen Z, working professionals, and more. Then, you can decide on the right social media platform to help you drive results.
• Understand your audience’s behavior. You can understand the different audience behaviors to improve your post-scheduling.
• Improve targeted campaigns. This can help you to optimize your budget to reach the right audience.

Fastest Growing Social Media Platforms in 2025

While we have seen the most popular social media platforms in 2025, others will likely be developed and overtake some big platforms. For instance, TikTok was only created in 2016 but is now among the most popular social media platforms. It has already overtaken other platforms, such as LinkedIn, which was created in 2002, and Pinterest, which was created in 2010. Going by the 2024 data, the fastest-growing social media platforms are:

Lemon8

According to the Hubspot Consumer Trends Survey, Lemon8 was the fastest-growing social media platform in 2024, experiencing a 200% year-to-year growth rate. The platform is a photo-sharing app owned by TikTok’s parent company ByteDance. Social media experts say the platform resembles a hybrid of Pinterest and Instagram.

While it was only introduced in the United States a year and a half ago, the platform has become exceedingly popular for several reasons. One of these is that it is a consumer-driven platform focusing more on organic and user-generated content. This sets it apart from other social media platforms, which are primarily brand-driven and focus on sales.

Most Lemon8 users also like that the platform features authentic and relatable content. It is, therefore, a popular platform for users searching for inspiration and ideas and sharing their videos or pictures. As an emerging platform, it isn’t guaranteed to become a social media giant but businesses need to pay attention to it. They may need to open accounts and see the content their target audiences are interested in.

Lemon8 can also be an effective platform for influencer marketing. Brands can create accounts, find influencers in their niche, and build awareness of their products and services.

Tumblr

Since it was established in 2007, it can seem surprising that Tumblr will be among the fastest-growing platforms in 2025. However, between 2023 and 2024, the platform experienced an 8% growth rate. It has kept growing because it’s a community-driven platform where users can find other people with similar interests.

Tumblr is also a personality-driven platform that allows users to be themselves, especially in their communities. According to its users, some use the platform to find entertaining content, while others use it to see cultural or news trends. The platform allows people to share content without the fear of judgment.

Threads

When Threads was introduced, it caused ripples after it reached 100 million active monthly users in nine months. That means it grew at an average rate of 8.3 additional monthly users. However, its growth stagnated in the second quarter of 2024, when it had a flat growth rate.

Threads started growing again in the three months leading to November 2024, adding an extra 100 million users. That means Thread has quadrupled its average user growth rate. Some factors that led to Threads’ fast growth include the U.S. elections and rapid growth in key markets such as Taiwan. Liberal users left Elon Musk’s X, joining other social media platforms such as Instagram and Threads.

TikTok

Despite the U.S. government threatening to ban TikTok, the app continues to experience fast growth. Between 2023 and 2024, the app experienced a growth rate of 20% YOY. The usage growth was evident in different generations, including the older ones. For instance, the usage among boomers experienced a 60% growth rate, while it had a 12% YOY growth rate among GenX.

The growth of TikTok can be attributed to the popularity of short-form videos. Many consumers suggest that short-form videos are their favorite form of social media content. Therefore, brands should implement a TikTok marketing strategy because statistics show that the platform offers one of the highest ROIs.

Instagram

One clear thing is that Instagram is among the few popular platforms across different generations. This popularity has continued, and the platform has experienced a growth rate of 5%. While the platform is more popular with Gen Zs, it’s also getting much attention from Boomers.

Statistics indicate that there was an increase of 5% in the usage of TikTok among adults in the U.S. Most of that increase happened among the baby boomers, which increased by 53%. The usage by Gen Zs dropped from 51% to 47% even though the app remained one of the most popular among millennials and Gen Zs.

Facebook

Facebook also experienced a 4% growth rate between 2023 and 2024. Despite being the most significant platform, it continues to grow. This growth can be attributed to its novelty as the third social media platform after LinkedIn and Myspace.

Which Social Media Platforms are Losing Steam?

Now that we have covered the fastest-growing social media platforms, let us look at those losing steam. One of these is BeReal! Despite experiencing a growth rate of 313% in 2023, it experienced a zero growth rate in 2024. LinkedIn, Twitch, and X were others whose growth rate decreased or stagnated. 

Most notably, X experienced a 22% drop in usage because of Elon Musk’s controversial takeover of the platform and his involvement in the U.S. campaigns. As a live-streaming giant, Twitch was affected by the overall slump in the streaming industry. All other streaming platforms, such as YouTube Live and Facebook Gaming, saw a drop in the number of hours watched. For instance, Facebook Gaming experienced a decline of 59%. Other platforms that are losing steam compared to their competitors are Pinterest, Reddit, and YouTube.

In Conclusion

While it feels like everyone is on social media nowadays, it’s important to note that they are not on every platform. If you want to expand your brand’s reach, you need to understand where your target audience is, which platform they are moving to, and which ones they are dropping. Once you get this information, you can know where to target your efforts. By reading our guide, you can understand the right social media platforms to focus on in 2025 and beyond.