Social Media Reimagined According to the US Public

Whether you’re a ‘mindless scroller’ that gets lost in the depths of TikTok, or a ‘Facebook warrior’ dwelling in the echo chamber and shouting your opinion to anyone who will listen, you’ll likely have heard that social media is a world of its own. And it’s not just gen Z who are fixated on illuminated screens and endless notifications, it turns out that other generations are too. With over 302 million social network users in 2022, predicted to rise by 25 million in 2027, it’s clear that social media usage isn’t going away, or slowing.

As such, HigherVisibility wanted to assess current attitudes toward social media in the US, as well as how they believe their state may appear in 50-100 years’ time if this social media usage remains the same. We visualized this using the AI image generation DALL-E 2, utilizing the most prominent statistics for each state and generation. 

Over 1 in 2 of those surveyed claimed that they worry about what the future may look like due to the rise of social media and technology, while 1 in 5 said that they would rather spend time on social media than with friends and family. The following visual AI image gallery shows the reality of the impact of social media according to those who use it.

The current impact of social media by state

LA – Over 70% spend over an hour on Social media each day

NY- Over ½ concerned about the metaverse and its impact on social media usage

Dallas – Over 40% feel much worse after using social media, over 60% miss life before social media

Memphis – 69% often scroll mindlessly when using social media

The future impact of social media by state

San Francisco ‘The Thief of Joy’ – Over 40% of people believe that people will suffer from mental health issues and anxiety due to constantly comparing themselves on social media.

Indianapolis ‘Fake News!’- Over 30% of people believe that people will be more susceptible to fake news due to social media.

Houston ‘The Death of TV’- 1 in 3 people believe that people will consume more video content online than through traditional media forms like TV

Boston ‘Life through VR lenses’ – Over 1 in 3 people agree that people will be addicted to using social media and over a quarter believe that people will interact more using AR/VR technology than they do in real life

Austin ‘Trapped in the Echo Chamber’- Over a quarter of people agree that people will only engage with those with who they share the same opinion

Social media as experienced by different generations

Over 50% of millennials and 40% of gen Z feel pressure about what they post online Over 40% of gen Z and millennials often feel much worse after using social media

Over 40% of millennials would rather spend time using social media than spending time with family and friends

Over 50% of gen Z and millennials have unrealistic expectations of themselves and life due to social media, they also wish their lifestyle appeared in the same way as their favorite social media influencer

Over 50% of gen X and over 70% of baby boomers disagreed with the statement “I have unrealistic expectations of myself and my life due to social media” Over 45% of gen X and over 50% of baby boomers disagreed with the statement “I wish my lifestyle appeared in the same way as my favorite social media influencer”

Over 80% of baby boomers disagreed with the statement “I would rather spend time using social media than spending time with family and friends”

Methodology

The research was conducted by Censuswide with 2,000 US consumers (nat rep) aged 16+ in February 2023. Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society which are based on the ESOMAR principles.