Stacy Jo Dixon
Research expert covering social media usage worldwide
Social media attitudes by generation in the United States - statistics & facts
Although almost everybody is online in some way in the United States, age plays a huge factor when it comes to users’ attitudes and feelings towards social media, which has an impact on the way users engage online. Generation Z, Millennials, Generation X, and Baby boomers use social networks in different ways depending on how they feel about it. Each generation has their strong opinions about social commerce, trusting tech companies, and online dating. So, when it comes to offering your personal data to social media companies, are you more inclined to agree with the skeptical Baby boomers, or the trusting Millennials? And where do Generations Z and X fit into the mix?
Moreover, in 2022, 28 percent of Millennials reported feeling that Facebook protected their privacy. Baby boomers were the least likely to trust Facebook with their data, and just one in ten agreed with this statement.
Yet again, Baby boomers are not sold on this type of online activity, and maybe their wisdom plays a part in this. Adults over the age of 65 were the most adamant that dating sites were not safe, and even though online daters under 50 were slightly more inclined to trust online dating, they were also more likely to say they had encountered scammers on dating apps and websites.
Following influencers to the checkout
Overall, younger generations trust social media when purchasing products. In the second quarter of 2023, Generation Z and Millennials in the United States were much more likely than Generation X and Baby Boomers to follow and make purchases through influencers. In fact, 55 percent of Millennials and 52 percent of Generation Z had followed an influencer and purchased something they had seen that influencer advertise. Additionally, 44 percent of U.S. Generation Z and Millennials said that they used social media groups as a product recommendation source, compared to 30 percent of Generation X and just seven percent of Baby boomers.Baby boomers are calling for security
As of April 2023, 67 percent of adults in the United States said that tech companies should be legally liable for some, or all content published on their platforms, but which generation feels the most strongly about this? As of January 2023, Baby boomers were the most likely generation to say that social media security measures were going in the wrong direction. Faith in social media safety features increased amongst younger generations, with over 60 percent of Generation Z users saying that things were going in the right direction in terms of social media security.Moreover, in 2022, 28 percent of Millennials reported feeling that Facebook protected their privacy. Baby boomers were the least likely to trust Facebook with their data, and just one in ten agreed with this statement.
Young love: Generation Z find it online
Online dating has finally become a social norm and is no longer an unsual way to meet a partner, with one in five adults in the United States even believing that algorithms could predict whether two people could fall in love. In 2022, 20 percent of U.S. adults aged 18 to 29 years said they had met their current partner on a dating site or app, compared to just 11 percent of Millennials, seven percent of Generation Z, and four percent of Baby boomers.Yet again, Baby boomers are not sold on this type of online activity, and maybe their wisdom plays a part in this. Adults over the age of 65 were the most adamant that dating sites were not safe, and even though online daters under 50 were slightly more inclined to trust online dating, they were also more likely to say they had encountered scammers on dating apps and websites.
