Reddit Rises, Elon Musk's X Stumbles: UK's Social Media Shakeup

Reddit Inc RDDT leapfrogged Elon Musk‘s X to become the UK's fifth most popular social media platform.

What Happened: According to a report by communications watchdog Ofcom, 22.9 million UK adults visited Reddit in May. X saw 22.1 million visitors.

Reddit also clinched the title of the fastest-growing large social media network in the country.

Read Also: Reddit Targets India, Brazil To Boost Global User Growth, Revenue

Per The Guardian, Reddit's meteoric 47% year-on-year growth pushed it ahead of LinkedIn and X, marking a remarkable climb in the rankings. The surge comes as Reddit's signature communities, or “subreddits,” continue to captivate an increasingly engaged user base.

Experts attribute Reddit's ascent to a mix of technological shifts and strategic moves. Farhad Divecha, managing director at AccuraCast, pointed to Google's 2024 algorithm update as a key driver, boosting Reddit's visibility in search results.

Additionally, Reddit's March IPO brought heightened publicity, while changes restricting third-party app access may have funneled users directly to its platform.

Why It Matters: X's reach fell by 8% over the past year. Since Musk acquired Twitter in 2022, the platform has faced criticism over its content moderation policies and stiff competition from Meta's Threads, launched in July 2023.

The Ofcom report underscores broader digital trends:

• 40% of UK adults encountered misinformation or deepfakes online in the past year
• 30% harbor beliefs in global conspiracies or electoral fraud, highlighting a growing need for digital literacy

As the UK's digital habits evolve, Reddit's rise signals a shifting social media landscape—one where niche communities and authentic engagement trump traditional networks.

Whether Reddit can sustain this momentum remains to be seen, but for now, its upward trajectory is hard to ignore.

Read Next:

• Jim Cramer: Reddit Is ‘Fabulous,’ Dow Is A ‘Tough’ One

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