Reddit is outpacing social media rivals TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram when it comes to engagement

The news: Reddit is one of the few social platforms improving its user engagement, according to recent data from Comscore Mobile Metrix.

• The platform demonstrated growth in monthly time spent, increasing from 215.2 minutes in June 2023 to 243.0 minutes in June 2024. This rise likely reflects its growing appeal for niche communities and discussions, further solidifying its role in the social media ecosystem.
• Our own forecast found that Reddit will expand average time spent per day by 11% this year.

Why it’s winning: This uptick can be attributed to Reddit's recent moves.

• Reddit’s diverse user-generated content appeals to a wide audience, resulting in daily active users rising over 50% year over year in Q2.
• The company’s focus on expanding its ad offerings, partnering with top sports leagues, and expanding agency partnerships has significantly boosted ad revenues, which grew 41% in Q2.
• As Reddit refines its search capabilities and explores AI-driven search enhancements, it's poised to further increase user engagement.

Despite capturing 7.8% of time spent per day with social networks by US adults, Reddit generates just 0.9% of social network ad spending—which means it has plenty of room to boost those revenues.

The rest of the pack: According to the Comscore data, Facebook continues to lead in average monthly time spent per user, although it saw a decline; Instagram also had a slight reduction.

• Meta’s Messenger service is one of the few apps in the study that saw an increase, with average time spent rising from 171.8 minutes to 203.0 minutes. This suggests that messaging apps remain a vital part of users’ social media routines, particularly as they integrate more features and services.
• Interestingly, TikTok had a decrease in engagement, with users spending 406.4 minutes in June 2024 compared with 429.2 minutes in June 2023. While still commanding substantial user time, the slight dip might hint at shifting user behavior or growing competition.
• X (formerly Twitter), WhatsApp, and Snapchat exhibited either minor changes or declines in user engagement.