It’s 21 years old this year, so why is everyone suddenly talking about Reddit, and should advertisers pay attention?

By Gio Cucinotta, Digital Media Executive

TikTok has been understood to be the social media growth story of the 2020s; the app where a generation consumed seemingly endless content. But early in January, some in UK media were shocked by the news that Reddit had overtaken TikTok as one of the country’s most-visited platforms.

So how has Reddit managed to conquer TikTok? We all know that TikTok is addictive; its algorithm is perfectly designed to hold your attention for hours. However, while TikTok has nailed entertainment, Reddit has mastered something way more valuable: answers to life’s burning questions.

After Google’s latest update, search results now favour forum discussions, with the AI overview often pulling directly from Reddit threads (essentially, human responses). Although it might seem incidental, it’s actually a key shift from Google that reflects user needs and behaviours

Reddit appears first in the SERP, ahead of The Guardian, for ‘best sunscreen 2026’

In my opinion, Reddit is not rising to the surface because it’s better designed or more addictive; it’s rising because it’s actually useful. It’s clear that in a world where AI slop is filling our endless feeds, usefulness is becoming a metric that TikTok is struggling to match up to. Videos can keep users entertained on TikTok, but utility is what’s drawing people to Reddit.

I speak from personal experience as a user of both platforms. Over the past couple of years, TikTok has been a space for content discovery, entertainment, and online shopping. It’s only been in the last few months that I’ve found myself turning to Reddit more frequently, particularly when looking for something really specific, or to get a consensus on something. Recently, while on holiday in Valencia, I turned to TikTok to find the best paella restaurants in town. However, as some may know, authentic Valencian paella is typically served for at least two people. While TikTok was brilliant for discovering top spots, Reddit helped me validate what I had seen on TikTok, and to solve the logistics of finding a plus-one. Posting in one of the Valencian community groups, within a few hours and a bit of back-and-forth, I connected with someone willing to share a paella meal with me. After that, I started turning to Reddit more and more for honest opinions and advice: looking for things to do in Edinburgh, local news, parenting hacks, DIY ideas, and more. My own behaviours reflect what we are seeing in the most used apps charts: a move away from passive content consumption toward an active role in conversations.

Perhaps surprisingly, Gen Z have played a big role in this step-change. The very audience that was first to engage with the For You page, now thrives for subreddits. Who would have thought we would witness a comeback of the ‘old’ internet, with nostalgic forum posts, as driven by those who never got to experience it first time round?

So, what does all this mean for advertisers? Reddit ads are far less intrusive and attentive than TikTok ads, so arguably they are less effective. With that said, the platform offers an opportunity for brands to meaningfully tap into communities and conversations that make sense for them. Think ASOS tapping into r/fashion or a finance brand tapping into r/FIREUK.

McDonalds recently utilised the hidden text feature of the platform to promote their Secret Menu

Time will tell how this shift in user behaviour influences the TikTok platform itself. Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian has joined a bid to buy TikTok’s US operations, pitching a more community-driven version of the app. Could we finally see a super-app that could challenge the might of Meta?