Research: Almost 60 percent of Americans think they can quit social media easily

According to the latest findings from Pew Research, it appears that 59 percent of consumers based in the United States think that they can give up using social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, just to name a few. Pew’s information also shows that only 14 percent of American users think it would be quite difficult for them to quit social media. Meanwhile, 40 percent of those surveyed by Pew admitted that getting rid of social media platforms in their life would be tricky. It was back in 2014 when Pew Research had last conducted a similar survey, and the results of that poll showed that just 28 percent of the survey participants stated that quitting social media would be a problem. 

The results of Pew Research’s most recent survey also suggest that 74 percent of Facebook users in the United States visit the social media brand on a daily basis. As for users of Snapchat and Instagram, 63 percent and 60 percent, respectively, of their users claim that they visit these platforms every day.

Pew Research’s findings also show that 35 percent of adults living in America now have an Instagram account. This is pretty remarkable, considering that back in 2016, that percentage is only at 7 percent. 

As for younger adults, social media brands such as Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter are unsurprisingly the most widely used platforms, especially among those who are 18 years old to 24 years old. As expected, Facebook continues to dominate social media usage across nearly all ages, except for those whose ages are at least 65 years old. 2017 saw 68 percent of all adults based in the United States to be regular Facebook users. Last year also registered an improvement for Twitter, with 24 percent of American adults using the brand, compared to 21 percent back in 2016.

To browse more statistics about American social media usage, it might be better to go visit Pew Research’s official website directly.

The last few years have seen increased debate over the potential harmful effects of too much social media engagement. There is already existing discussions of how too much time browsing Facebook or Instagram can led to reduced feelings of happiness and increased feelings of envy. Only a few days ago, DAK (a health insurance firm based in Germany) had published the results of a study it recently conducted, and it indicates there are about a hundred thousand teenage users already displaying signs of addiction to social media platforms.