On par with national trends, research indicates that North Carolinians are getting away from social media, especially Facebook, a recent survey suggests.
According to a national survey report from Viralyft, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat are the top most deleted social media apps, with YouTube being the most downloaded. Internal research conducted by the John Locke Foundation produced similar results for North Carolina.
This data is not a direct measure of app downloads. Instead, it is a proxy measure of Google searches for terms like “download Facebook” or “delete Facebook” completed using Google Trends.
“There’s a caveat because their search term was ‘YouTube download,’ ‘Instagram download,’ etc. In my opinion, it’s unlikely that reflects people searching to download the YouTube app.” Brenée Goforth, Communications Manager for the John Locke Foundation, told the Carolina Journal. “It’s more likely that search traffic is driven by people looking to download videos from YouTube. That could certainly be a confounding factor because, if you think about it, nearly every device you purchase already has the YouTube app downloaded on it. Apple phones, Android phones, and iPads come with YouTube on them. It’s just unlikely that people are searching to download that app.”
Most Searches for “Delete”
| Viralyft National Rankings | Locke Foundation North Carolina Rankings |
| Snapchat | YouTube |
| TikTok | |
| Telegram | Snapchat |
Twitter (X) is ranked No. 4 for most deleted and No. 3 for most downloaded by Viralyft. The John Locke Foundation separates the data for Twitter vs. X. For most deleted, Twitter ranks at No. 6, with X at No. 8. For most downloaded, the data is similar, with Twitter at No. 5 and X at No. 6.
Most Searches for “Download”
| Viralyft National Rankings | Locke Foundation North Carolina Rankings |
| YouTube | YouTube |
| Twitter (X) | TikTok |
According to the National Viralyft survey, LinkedIn ranks No. 5 for most downloaded, whereas Twitter scored No. 5 in Locke’s state-based rankings.
Certain apps appear in the top results for, both, “most deleted” and “most downloaded.” A spokesperson from Viralyft commented on seemingly contradictory results.
“Social media apps are often downloaded and deleted frequently due to many reasons,” the spokesperson said. “One common reason could be privacy concerns, and data security can prompt users to delete social media for more secure alternatives. Other worries can include the introduction of new AI features and their mishaps on social media platforms, as new technology malfunctions can panic people.”
Research from JLF ranks the second and third most downloaded social media apps as Instagram and TikTok. Goforth asserts that video platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok are likely overrepresented in search results for “downloads,” because people aren’t likely searching how to download the apps, but, rather, they are searching how to download videos from those apps.
According to Goforth, survey results and trends in social media for the state of North Carolina are on par with national trends. Though, surprisingly, TikTok did not make any of Viralyft’s rankings, while it appeared on both “download” and “delete” lists in the Locke Foundation’s research.
“Both Instagram and Facebook have issues acquiring young American users,” said Goforth. “Young people don’t want to be on Facebook anymore.”
“Instagram is no longer a photo-sharing platform. It has essentially become another short-form video app. Because of that, it has to compete for views with platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts. That is an uphill battle when young generations prefer TikTok, and nearly every device you buy comes with the Youtube app pre-installed.”
Short-form videos increase users’ screen time because users tend to watch them for longer than they view posts containing photos or text, and Goforth says users are likely seeing an increase in short-form content on YouTube due to the algorithm favoring these videos’ high completion rates. Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube shorts have almost become interchangeable, with content creators often uploading the same video to all three platforms.
“The addictive nature of social media, with endless scrolling and notifications, can also lead users to feel anxious and overwhelmed and prompt a break by deleting the app,” continued the Viralyft spokesperson. “Ultimately, it is important to note that app popularity and trends can play a significant role in the cycle of downloading and deleting social media apps.”
“TikTok is still gaining followers, and they are predominately young people, people who are not active on Facebook,” revealed Goforth. “Historically, TikTok has also trended predominantly female.”
One noteworthy consideration for this research method is that the results of Google Trend data can vary significantly based on the search term. For instance, in the North Carolina results, Snapchat moves from No. 3 to No. 5 when the search term is changed from “delete SnapChat” to “how to delete SnapChat.”
Goforth also pointed out that social media is seeing a trend away from written content and pictures and leaning heavily towards video content. This trend also impacts where people are going for their content.
“We’re seeing a transfer in where they go for their content, and I will say that that is based on users’ increasing preference for videos,” Goforth said. “Popular content is trending towards video and away from written content and pictures.”
“Nobody wants to read anything anymore. That’s why TikTok is doing so well. That’s why YouTube shorts are getting more and more views. I mean, even on Twitter, videos are filling users’ feeds.”
Goforth also commented on the commodification of social media apps.
“There’s the Instagram store, there’s the TikTok shop, and even Temu is essentially competing with social media apps now because Temu has games in the app where you win money to use on the platform, and you just mindlessly scroll — just like you do on Instagram and TikTok,” said Goforth. “So, Temu is successfully competing for users’ screen time in the attention economy.”
Temu and TikTok are both Chinese-owned apps with official ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
“Commerce and social media are becoming more intertwined,” said Goforth. “So that makes platforms like TikTok with young audiences particularly dangerous because the user base is so young and impressionable.”