228 million Americans use social media*, but many have a love-hate relationship with their social platforms, particularly when it comes to trust. Since November 2022, Horizon Media’s WHY Group has been keeping a monthly pulse on how much people trust social media platforms and how that changes amid persistent news headlines and changes in the landscape.

The fourth issue of the Social Media Trust Tracker examines data from September-November with a focus on how things are trending compared to our last report (June- August 2023). We’ve also looked closely at the role social media plays for users when it comes to politics and the election cycle.

What we found:

• Data safety remains a top priority, while safety from hate speech sees the largest increase in importance. Data safety remains the top priority and continues to rise in importance. Yet trust in the ability of platforms to handle data remains low amid enduring controversy surrounding Meta and TikTok’s handling of user data.
  
• Platform usage remains steady as people find increasing utility in social media. Despite persistent trust gaps, users keep scrolling as social continues to offer connection, relaxation, and a place to keep up with current events.
  
• X remains the platform with the most churn. Intent to use remains steady among all platforms except for X. While it rebounded slightly from Waves 8-10, it continues to struggle likely due to continued management concerns and negative press.
  
• Social media is important for political discourse, and users hold platforms accountable for political information. 2 in 5 say social media is an important space for debate and useful for keeping up to date with the election cycle.

For the full report, click ‘Download PDF’ below.

*Source: eMarketer