X Growth Stalls as Reddit Usage Soars in New Pew Data

Reddit gains quietly turn into measurable wins while X fails to rally further growth. In the most recent national survey of the Pew Research Center, the portion of Americans who say they ever use Reddit rose to 26 percent from 22 percent in a previous reading as X fell to 21 percent from 22 percent. The divergent directions highlight how community-driven forums are taking advantage of changing user behaviors and trust dynamics on social platforms.

Pew Data Highlights Contrasting Paths for Major Social Platforms

Pew’s “Americans’ Social Media Use” report also reaffirms that YouTube, Facebook and Instagram continue to have the broadest reach; 84% of respondents say they ever use YouTube, while 71% use Facebook and 50% use Instagram. Those numbers represent modest increases from past readings of 83 percent, 68 percent and 47 percent — and they hint that the incumbents are steady, rather than surging.

Further down the top ranks, however, change is more pronounced. TikTok increased to 37 percent from 33 percent, even as its policy woes linger. WhatsApp increased to 32% from 29%. Reddit has rocketed up from 22% to 26%, while Snapchat (which may be aging me) slid down to 25% from 27%, and X is now at 21%, sliding off its own number: 22%.

For daily use, Facebook comes in first with 52 percent of respondents saying they go there each day; that’s higher than YouTube (48 percent), TikTok (24 percent) and X (10 percent): a snapshot that helps explain why some platforms feel more ambient and habitual than others.

The study also measured traction of more recent text-based rivals to X: Threads claimed 8%, followed by Bluesky at 4% and Truth Social at 3% for ever use. Bluesky’s number is particularly consequential, as Threads has a head start with Instagram’s huge user base.

The poll was conducted by SSRS, collecting responses from 5,022 U.S. adults via a combination of online ads, mailers and phone calls. Pew’s methodology — based on a large probability-based panel — lends weight to the directional trends.

Why Reddit Is Expanding Amid Shifts in Online User Behavior

Reddit’s allure is depth over virality. This utility, with niche communities where each is more in-depth and broad than they actually need to be to survive, has the feel of a public library mated with a live forum. That model fits well with search behavior: people come to solve questions, compare products or learn from practitioners — and they tend to stick around.

The platform also improved for recruits from elsewhere. In the past year, Reddit has iterated on search, expanded native video, invested in mod tools and made its on-ramp less intimidating. Increased visibility in search results, fueled at least in part by reported content licensing agreements with big tech companies, has pushed more new users into those subreddits where answers come quickly and are frequently put forward authoritatively.

Publicity from its stock market debut and a regular stream of high-profile AMAs have helped Reddit stay culturally relevant. To brands and publishers, the site presents targeted reach combined with useful feedback loops, making for higher-intent traffic and deeper engagement versus algorithmic feeds.

X Faces Headwinds and User Fatigue Amid Policy and Product Shifts

The numbers show that X is a platform somewhere between reinvention and user ambivalence — between being at death’s door or having already walked through it in the eyes of many users. The year-to-year challenges in the industry, punctuated by regular product shifts, changing verification policies and debates around brand safety, have made it harder to project stability. Advertiser caution — noted at various times by the major ad holding companies — has taken momentum out of the platform; and Pew’s 10% daily-use number underscores the challenge of reconstructing habitual engagement at scale.

The result is stagnation: a service that remains central to real-time discourse but is less successful at broadening its base. Power users and newsmakers still fuel conversation on the platform, but mainstream growth appears tamer as casual audiences taste alternatives.

Threads and Bluesky Test the Post-Twitter Landscape

Threads’ 8 percent reach indicates that Meta’s integration with Instagram can siphon off some of the inquisitive, but retention centers on standalone features that incentivize original posting rather than just cross-posting. Bluesky’s 4% is a reminder that, out there, somewhere — even if it’s more than likely in the creepier reaches of Reddit and 4chan — decentralization and stricter social norms have an audience. The takeaway for creators is easy: diversify, and find the platforms where your audience wants to talk, not just to listen.

What It Means for Brands and Creators Across Social Platforms

Reddit’s ascendance tips the scale toward tactics that rely on expertise. Join relevant subreddits, take your stand within mods’ rules, and think about AMAs or explainer posts that answer real problems. On X, emphasize live events, customer support and brief updates that make a follow worth it. When allocating budget, watch TikTok’s continued ascent and YouTube and Facebook as that daily habit goes on.

The broader takeaway is that social media is splitting in two: mass-reach incumbents for ubiquitous awareness and community platforms for high-intent engagement. The big winner this year? Reddit has clearly won that shift. Whether X can revive a growth narrative will depend on winning confidence — not just among users and creators, but also advertisers.