The number of Reddit users in the United Kingdom has surged remarkably and is now in fifth place among the country’s top social media sites. The UK communications regulator Ofcom just released recent data on Reddit’s incredible growth, surpassing LinkedIn and X, formerly known as Twitter.
In 2023, Reddit reached 22.9 million UK adults, an increase of 47 percent from the same period last year. The result is that it is growing ahead of X, which attracted 22.1 million users in the same month. Now, Facebook is eclipsed by YouTube in the UK’s social media rankings, with more than 44 million active users.
Reddit climbs to the top five as UK social media evolves
Experts credit some of Reddit’s rise to updates to Google’s search algorithms this year. Managing director of digital marketing agency AccuraCast Farhad Divecha said Reddit’s increase in organic search traffic was ‘certainly’ a factor in the boost. Reddit’s decision to impede access to third-party apps may also have pushed users to connect with the platform directly.
Then, Reddit’s March 2024 stock market introduction was a great thing to watch as it attracted global investors, with people from the wider tech community taking an interest.
X had challenges while Reddit marched forward. The user base for X’s UK operation fell by 8 percent from May 2023 following the company’s ongoing criticism over content moderation under Elon Musk’s ownership, with competition from Meta’s Threads, launched in July 2023.
The findings also help explain the consumer digital habits of UK adults. According to Ofcom’s report, four in 10 adults came into contact with online misinformation or deepfakes, and rising concerns were a focus. Skepticism around artificial intelligence-generated content is a factor that should drive digital literacy in a world where technology is shaping our lives and influencing us widely.
A growing UK presence for Reddit is underway, though its ability to hold its own will be vital to cementing user trust and innovation in a changing social media space.
Image credit: Reddit
