Older Americans driving polarization, online conspiracy theories, study finds
The shocking Socialprofiler study found evidence to contradict stereotypes about generations based on their social media habits. AP
With age comes social media mania.
A sweeping new study reveals that older generations are fueling political polarization and spreading conspiracy theories across major social media platforms, while Gen Z tends to focus more on issues than on partisan battles.
The research, conducted by Socialprofiler—an artificial intelligence platform—analyzed 756 million social media profiles and found that older users are far more vocal about partisan politics online than younger users. “A lot of the findings are very unconventional,” Socialprofiler CEO Tony Noskov told The Post. “Political discussion is not really popular among younger generations. It’s mostly about activism, nonpolitical activism.”
The study examined the types of posts users from different age groups interact with most on X, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
While Gen Z frequently engages with left-leaning political content and progressive social issues, Millennials and Gen X were more likely to share traditional partisan content, the study found.
“This suggests that the loudest political debates occur not among the youth themselves, but among their parents and older siblings, who use social media platforms as spaces for ideological expression and partisan discourse,” the report noted.
These findings align with other research showing that older Americans spend significant time online and are more susceptible to social media conspiracy theories. A September 2025 survey by Talker Research of 2,000 adults aged 50 and older, commissioned by Centrum Silver, found that older Americans spend an average of 22 hours per week in front of screens, including social media.
Research from the University of Colorado Boulder also indicates that adults 55 and older are more likely than younger users to share political misinformation. The November 2025 study concluded that as Americans age, their partisan beliefs intensify, influencing their online behavior.
Socialprofiler’s report highlighted that political polarization and conspiracy theories—ranging from UFOs and aliens to the Illuminati and flat-earth theories—tend to increase with age. By contrast, Zoomers gravitate toward issue-focused topics and esoteric interests like tarot, witchcraft, hypnosis, and spiritism.
“This suggests that different forms of escapism and alternative worldviews appeal to different age cohorts, rather than representing a simple replacement of traditional faith with scientific rationalism,” the study said.
When asked about the generational gap in susceptibility to conspiracy theories, Noskov said, “We don’t exactly know,” but hinted that further research is planned.
Republicans drew stronger overall engagement on social media, though Democrats performed better among younger users. Zoomers, for example, engaged heavily with issues such as LGBTQ+ rights and climate change.
The study noted that even movements initially popular with younger audiences, like Black Lives Matter, often see declining engagement as users shift toward non-political content. Socialprofiler also observed that while overall religious affiliation is declining among young Americans, some faiths, such as Islam, are gaining traction. The report suggested that traditional religion is slowly being replaced by other forms of metaphysical exploration.
Platform-specific trends also emerged: X dominates political, news, and science content; Instagram excels in lifestyle and aspirational culture; and TikTok remains the hub for youth identity expression.
Socialprofiler’s “2025 State of U.S. Social Media” is its inaugural report, drawing on two years of data collection. While private accounts were not directly analyzed, the company studied public interactions with these users’ content on other platforms.
“We look across platforms—LinkedIn, X, Facebook, Instagram—and most people will have at least one public profile,” explained COO David Marohnic. Socialprofiler estimates that roughly 65% of profiles are public, with 35% private, though this varies by platform.
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