In 2016, data from the General Social Survey (GSS) showed that 70.7% of people used internet applications more than occasionally beyond just email. Furthermore, 95.0% of people accessed internet apps on a phone or a tablet. The median hours of usage of internet applications was two hours a day. The question is, “What are people viewing on the internet? This post looks at what are the most popular social media sites.

Figure 1, below, shows that 74.5% of respondents used Facebook. Next in line in terms of usage is Pinterest at 35.0%. This is less than half the popularity of Facebook. Rounding out the top five is Google+ at 34.7%, Instagram at 30.8%, and Linkedin at 22.7%. Twitter is in the middle of the pack and Flickr is the least popular with 3.1% of respondents reporting that they use it.

Figure 2, below, shows other social media usage–applications that are not included in the top 12 in Figure 1. The most popular other social media website is YouTube, which is tied with “other social networks.” Next is Reddit at 12.9% and online gaming at 6.9%. Tied with the fifth most popular “Other” social media sites are Yahoo, online dating sites, Plenty of Fish, and Viber–all at 5.2%.

This short analysis shows what people are accessing when they are on the internet. The most popular social media website is Facebook by far–by double the amount of users as the next most popular site, which is Pinterest. In terms of other social media sites not in the top 12, YouTube tops the list.