US Social Network Users: eMarketer's Estimates for 2018–2022 - eMarketer
« Return to Mobile Website

Newsletters Sign-Up

Plans & Pricing

Does My Company Subscribe?

US Social Network Users: eMarketer's Estimates for 2018–2022

eMarketer Report

By: eMarketer

Published: March 14, 2018

Jump to: Executive Summary | Table of Contents | List of Charts

Executive Summary

More than 71% of US internet users will access a social network at least once a month this year. From a distance, Facebook has easily maintained its place as the leading social platform, reaching 60.6% of internet users. But cracks are beginning to show due to the platform’s ongoing loss of teenage users. By 2022, Facebook’s share of internet users will slip to 60.2%.

  • The number of Facebook users in the US will rise 0.9% to 169.5 million in 2018, driven by uptake among older age groups. However, the network will experience declines between 5.6% and 9.3% among younger users under 25, representing a loss of 2.1 million.
  • The biggest beneficiary of this outcome will be Snapchat. By the end of this year, 68.0% of internet users ages 12 to 17 will use the platform regularly. Snapchat’s penetration among internet users in this age group will outstrip that of Facebook and Instagram (47.2% and 43.6%, respectively).
  • Instagram’s user base will increase to 104.7 million in 2018, up 13.1% from 2017. Platform growth will be driven by users 35 and older creating profiles and connecting with (likely younger) family members who have become less active on Facebook.
  • Mobile phone messaging is not as common as social networking among internet users, but the user base is sizable. This year, 53.6% of US web users will access a mobile phone messaging app, and that share will climb to 58.1% by 2022.

"More than 60% of US internet users will access Facebook at least once per month this year, ahead of Instagram (37.4%) and mobile-only Snapchat (30.9%)."

Table of Contents

Social Network Users

This content is available to eMarketer PRO customers only. Request a live demo of PRO today to see what you can gain with access.

Request a demo today

Facebook Users

This content is available to eMarketer PRO customers only. Request a live demo of PRO today to see what you can gain with access.

Request a demo today

Instagram Users

This content is available to eMarketer PRO customers only. Request a live demo of PRO today to see what you can gain with access.

Request a demo today

Pinterest Users

This content is available to eMarketer PRO customers only. Request a live demo of PRO today to see what you can gain with access.

Request a demo today

Snapchat Users

This content is available to eMarketer PRO customers only. Request a live demo of PRO today to see what you can gain with access.

Request a demo today

Tumblr Users

This content is available to eMarketer PRO customers only. Request a live demo of PRO today to see what you can gain with access.

Request a demo today

Twitter Users

This content is available to eMarketer PRO customers only. Request a live demo of PRO today to see what you can gain with access.

Request a demo today

Mobile Chat App Users

This content is available to eMarketer PRO customers only. Request a live demo of PRO today to see what you can gain with access.

Request a demo today

22 charts are included in the full report:

US Social Network Users: eMarketer’s Estimates for 2018–2022

US Social Network User Penetration, by Platform, 2018 (% of internet users)

Social Network Users

US Social Network Users and Penetration, 2017-2022

Facebook Users

US Facebook Users and Penetration, 2017-2022

Reasons that US Facebook Users Do Not Trust News Seen on Facebook, March 2017 (% of respondents)

Facebook User Demographics

US Facebook User Growth Among Users Ages 24 and Younger, by Age Group, 2017-2022 (% change)

Demographic Profile of US Facebook Users, 2018 (% of social network users in each group)

Instagram Users

US Instagram Users and Penetration, 2017-2022

Frequency with Which US Instagram Users View Instagram Stories, Dec 2017 (% of respondents)

Instagram User Demographics

Demographic Profile of US Instagram Users, 2018 (% of social network users in each group)

Pinterest Users

US Pinterest Users and Penetration, 2017-2022

Social Media Activities Performed by US Social Media Users, by Platform, Q4 2017 (% of respondents)

Pinterest User Demographics

Demographic Profile of US Pinterest Users, 2018 (% of social network users in each group)

Snapchat Users

US Snapchat Users and Penetration, 2017-2022

Most Important Snapchat Feature According to US Snapchat Users, Dec 2017 (% of respondents)

Snapchat User Demographics

Demographic Profile of US Snapchat Users, 2018 (% of social network users in each group)

Tumblr Users

US Tumblr Users and Penetration, 2017-2022

Twitter Users

US Twitter Users and Penetration, 2017-2022

Social Media Platforms from Which US Social Media Users Get News, 2013, 2016 & 2017 (% of respondents)

Twitter User Demographics

US Twitter Users and Penetration, 2017-2022

Mobile Chat App Users

US Mobile Messaging App Users and Penetration, 2017-2022 (millions, % change and % of internet users)

Frequency with Which US Internet Users Use Group Chat via Text/Messaging Apps, by Demographic, Dec 2017 (% of respondents of each group)

US Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp Users and Penetration, 2017-2022