Two hundred and twenty-eight 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 pulse on how much people trust social media platforms and how that changes amid persistent news headlines and changes in the landscape. We survey over 900 Americans regularly to understand their views of Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, Reddit, and Discord based on their experiences and any news they may have come across through Horizon Media’s Finger on the Pulse panel.

Previously, we reported that even though users rate platforms poorly on trustworthiness — which they deem important — they continue to use social media. In this fifth issue of the Social Media Trust Tracker, we continue to look at how much people trust social media platforms so that marketers can continue to assess which platforms they should be using, if this impacts advertising believability and if there are any brand safety concerns.