UK Social Media Outlook 2023

The Platform Hierarchy Is Shifting, Driven Largely by Gen Z User Habits

Executive Summary

Social networks won’t see significant user growth in the UK from here on in. However, there will be considerable changes in terms of which platforms are gaining and losing users. Gen Z will be driving much of this change—it’s the only cohort that will continue to add meaningful numbers of social users through the end of our forecast period in 2026.

3 KEY QUESTIONS THIS REPORT WILL ANSWER

  1. Which platforms will add, and lose, the most users in the UK this year?
  2. How much growth can we expect to see in social user numbers overall?
  3. How are Gen Z’s social habits shaping the wider landscape?

WHAT’S IN THIS REPORT? Our latest forecast for social network users in the UK, looking at the changing platform hierarchy—and what it could mean for advertisers.

KEY STAT: Changes in the social network hierarchy are being driven by Gen Z. Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok remain the most popular platforms for this cohort, but there’s user growth across the board, even for Facebook.

Here’s what’s in the full report

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Table of Contents

  1. Executive Summary
  2. Key Points
  3. Engagement Gains Importance Amid Slowing User Growth
  1. The Social Platform Hierarchy Is in Flux
  2. User Growth Is Slowing or Declining Across the Board
  3. Gen Z Will Be the Biggest Driver of User Growth
  1. Sources
  2. Media Gallery

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authors

Bill Fisher

Contributors

Peter Newman
Senior Forecasting Analyst
Karin von Abrams
Principal Analyst
Debra Aho Williamson
Principal Analyst
Ruoyan Zeng
Associate Forecasting Analyst