Pinterest, Instagram use doubles in three years

Elizabeth Weise | USA TODAY

SAN FRANCISCO — The art of conversation isn't dead, it's just moving online.

A study released Wednesday finds Americans, especially younger ones, are using smartphone messaging apps more, and more frequently, than ever before.

The study by the non-profit Pew Research Center found more than one-third of adults use messaging apps.

"Between me and my friends and co-workers, it's a conversation that's going on throughout the day," said Charlena Marshall, 30, of San Leandro, Calif.

"It's just how we communicate," she said.

Young adults are especially message-happy. Forty-nine percent of smartphone owners between 18 and 29 used messaging apps.

Though actual face-to-face, or at least voice-to-voice, is still important.

"Texing makes life a lot easier, but it's more for factual information, times and where to meet, that kind of thing," said Joe Miller, 29, of San Francisco.

Instant messages are one of the main ways he communicates with friends, but they can't take the place of a conversation. "Even with emoticons, a text just can't convey real emotion," he said.

Though texting does have one advantage, the ability to take something back. Forty-one percent of young adults online said they use apps like Snapchat or Wickr that automatically delete sent messages.

These online conversations aren't always in words. People also love to share photos and images, and they're doing it more often.

The proportion of online adults who use Pinterest and Instagram has doubled since 2012, Pew found. A full 31% of online adults use Pinterest, up from 15% just three years ago. Instagram use is up to 28%, from 13% in 2012.

While the number of people using these services hasn't moved much in the past year or so, those who do are stopping in a lot more often.

More than half of Instagram users, 59%, visit the platform daily. That's up 10% from September 2014.

The photo and image sharing site Pinterest saw its daily usage go from 17% to 27% over that same time period.

The business-oriented social networking site LinkedIn also got more daily visitors, up to 22% from 13% a year ago.

Still, however much people like these other sites Facebook remains the most popular and widely-used social media platform. A full 72% of online adults said they used it, and 70% of those said they log in daily.

That includes 43% who said they logged in several times a day.

Despite all the news about sites such as Reddit, Digg and Slashdot of late, they're not all that popular. Only 15% of adults said they used them.

Follow USA TODAY reporter Elizabeth Weise @eweise