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YouTube distinguishes itself among social media players, while Google regains foothold on search engines, study
There are roughly 302 million social media users in the United States — and if you were to combine these platforms into a single entity, there’s a good chance most folks would swipe right.
According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI®) Search and Social Media Study 2022-2023, user satisfaction with social media improves 3% to an ACSI score of 73 (out of 100). Things look even more promising for search engines and information, as the industry jumps 7% to 80.
Forrest Morgeson, Associate Professor of Marketing at Michigan State University and Director of Research Emeritus at the ACSI: “What’s fascinating about this year’s data is the amount of competition brewing — particularly among social media companies. Last year, the top three companies were within 3 points of each other. This year, they’re all within 1 point of each other— and they’re all higher than last year’s winner. The baseline is rising.”
YouTube is viewed as the social media darling
After sharing the top spot last year, YouTube moves into sole possession of first place in social media after increasing 3% to an ACSI score of 78. The platform outshines competitors in mobile app quality and reliability, ease of navigation, loading speed and reliability, and ease of use on different devices. It has the added luxury of performing more like a search engine than a social media site — something that distinguishes it from its peers.
Last year’s other frontrunner, Pinterest, falls into a second-place tie — despite improving 1% — with TikTok at 77. The latter climbs 5% with users praising the platform for how easy it is to upload and edit photos and videos.
LinkedIn makes the biggest leap in the industry, soaring 10% to an ACSI score of 75, while Instagram climbs 9% to 73. Facebook is also up significantly (8%), but it remains in last place with an ACSI score of 66.
Meanwhile, the launch of Threads might not be the only threat on the horizon for Twitter. While the company improves 1% to a score of 69 in 2023, there are signs of score deterioration emerging. This is particularly evident in Q2, reflecting platform changes to the checkmark verification process and daily limits on the number of tweets a user can view, for example.
Morgeson: “What’s become increasingly clear is that we now have distinct ‘tiers’ of satisfaction in the social media space. Users gravitate toward influencers, social media personalities/podcasting crossovers, and user communities built around particular interests, personalities, and organizations. YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram are better positioned to leverage this new usage pattern.”
Google regains grip on search engines
Google goes back to first place among search engines and information sites, surging 7% to an ACSI score of 80. Not only does its undeniable ubiquity work in the industry leader’s favor, but its advantages in speed, mobile app quality, navigation, content, and ease of use on different devices have it well-positioned for the foreseeable future.
Meanwhile, DuckDuckGo debuts in second at 79, while the group of smaller search engines slides 4% to 76.
AOL and Bing both surge 7% to 75. Despite moving up 3%, Yahoo! finishes last with an ACSI score of 74.
