Reddit overtakes X to become the fifth most popular social platform in the UK

Reddit became the fifth most popular social network in the UK, overtaking X with 22.9 million users. YouTube topped the rankings with 44 million users, while X lost 8% of its audience for the year.

American online discussion platform Reddit has overtaken X to become the fifth most popular social network in Great Britain.

About this writes The Guardian with reference to Ofcom.

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In May this year, Reddit, where users discuss topics in thematic communities, was visited by 22.9 million British adults, while X – 22.1 million These figures make Reddit the fastest growing large social platform in the UK.

If we compare the statistics with the same period in 2023, the increase in traffic was 47%. The jump pushed Reddit above LinkedIn and X in the platform rankings, with YouTube now holding the top spot. YouTube has overtaken Facebook with more than 44 million adult users.

Reddit, known for its loyal audience who call themselves “redditors,” likely got a boost from Google's search algorithm updates this year.

Google's latest algorithm update in the first half of 2024 significantly increased Reddit's organic traffic. I think that has had a significant impact on the platform's growth

– said Farhad Divecha, director of British digital marketing agency AccuraCast.

Ofcom also suggested that the changes could be due to adjustments to third-party applications' access to Reddit content, forcing users of such applications to switch to the platform's official website.

The regulator also noted the publicity surrounding Reddit’s IPO in March of this year. At the same time, X’s popularity has declined, with the platform’s reach falling by 8% since May of last year.

X ​​has faced criticism over its content moderation standards since Elon Musk acquired the platform in 2022, as well as competition from Threads – competitor X, launched by Mark Zuckerberg in July 2023.

Ofcom data, in its annual report on the nation's digital habits, showed that 4 in 10 UK adults say they have encountered disinformation or deepfakes, with the majority of such incidents occurring online.

The disinformation survey, based on a survey of more than 4,000 British adults, also found that 3 in 10 adults believe there is a single group of people who collectively control the world, and the same number believe there is “strong evidence” of UK election fraud.

Threads and BlueSky lure users X

X ​​users are flocking to Meta's BlueSky and Threads, much to Elon Musk's concern. Last week, he announced a new feature to hide likes and reposts, citing a “cleaner” interface.

Since X's acquisition in 2022, the platform has become cluttered with unnecessary information and advertising. Meanwhile, BlueSky is actively growing its audience, and Meta is concerned about the network's competitive advantage among former Twitter users.