Threads and Bluesky still trail far behind X in the United States, according to new findings from Pew Research Center. In Pew’s latest look at social media habits, each of these upstart services is used by fewer than 1 in 10 U.S. adults, underscoring how hard it is to dislodge X in the niche of short, real-time text updates.
Even though X isn’t among the overall largest social networks in America, it remains the dominant player in the microblog-style, vertical-feed space. Competition has intensified since Elon Musk acquired Twitter and rebranded it as X in October 2022. Changes to content moderation and a noticeable political shift sent some users exploring alternatives, boosting interest in decentralized, open-source platforms like Mastodon and Bluesky and inspiring a wave of rivals such as Spill, Post, T2 (later Pebble), and Hive. Many of those challengers have already shuttered.
Pew’s data shows just how firm X’s grip remains—despite all the noise and new launches. Even with the backing of a tech giant, Meta’s Threads hasn’t caught up.
Here’s how U.S. adult usage breaks down in the latest report:
– X: 21%
– Threads: 8%
– Bluesky: 4%
– Truth Social: 3%
If X is fading, it’s doing so slowly. Pew’s earlier snapshots reported 22% of U.S. adults using X last year and 23% using Twitter in 2021. That gentle slide suggests a remarkably stable core audience for real-time text updates, even as alternatives have multiplied.
Zooming out to overall social media adoption, the biggest platforms continue to dominate in the U.S.:
– YouTube: 84%
– Facebook: 71%
– Instagram: 50%
– TikTok: 37%
– WhatsApp: 32%
– Reddit: 26%
– Snapchat: 25%
Several services have grown meaningfully since 2021. TikTok climbed from 21% to 37%, Instagram rose from 40% to 50%, and WhatsApp increased from 23% to 32%. Reddit, newly prominent in the AI era due to content licensing deals, jumped from 18% to 26%.
It’s also worth noting that adult usage patterns differ sharply from those of teens. While YouTube remains the top destination for both groups, younger users skew more heavily toward apps like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat.
The takeaway: despite an influx of competitors and shifting user sentiments, X continues to anchor the real-time, text-first social media category in the U.S. Meanwhile, the broader ecosystem keeps evolving, with short-form video and messaging platforms steadily expanding their footprint among adults.
