Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:FB) is losing teens to Youtube, Snapchat and Instagram. This fact is, by all means, true according to recent research conducted by Pew Research Center.
Facebook, launched by Mark Zuckerberg in a small dorm about 14 years from now, has been at a real quick-propel towards achieving global domination over other social media platforms. However, the survey done by the fact tank of the States reveals how Facebook has been staggering slow, far behind Snapchat and YouTube which are now most popular among teens.
The survey was based on interviews with 743 teens between 13-17 years and 1,058 parents.
As per the reports, about 85% of U.S. teenagers use YouTube, making the Google-owned video-streaming service, the ace-level platform for teens. Trailing close is Instagram, with 72% of teens using the photo-sharing service. Snapchat, position itself as the third most popular service with 69% active teens. However, the former fore-runner lags behind at about 51%. This is one head-long atrophy since Facebook was the leading online platform with 71% of teens in the year 2015.
Notably, teenagers from economically lower strata are more likely to be drawn toward Facebook than those from higher-income households. Around 70% teenagers, in households earning less than $30,000 a year use Facebook more palpable. The other 30% with an annual family income of $75,000 or more, use Facebook at an unsubstantial degree.
Again, there were gradation differences on gender context. The study reveals that about 42% of girls used Snapchat to an avid degree, as compared to 29% of boys. Tacitly hinted, males head more towards Youtube rather than females. About 39 percent males use YouTube the most, while the female percent lags behind at 25.
Teens Walk the Mobile-First Tracks; Facebook Lags Behind
When it comes to choosing a favourite platform for a teen’s day-to-day routine, most of them prefer Snapchat for humdrum talk/post fest with friends. Although, it is one taken as a true thing that Facebook’s omnipresence cannot be demeaned, mobile-first platforms like Snapchat and Youtube are being clamoured for by the Generation Z cohort.
Facebook has been losing its charm, precisely because it stands alone as one antique social-media exhibit among the new-age, mobile-first platforms. Snapchat, introduced a range of interactive features, has been able to garner teen audience’s attention, resulting in the soaring user base.
Although, it’s no cloak-and-dagger that Facebook has an unparalleled monthly active user base of over 2.2 billion, the dense, desktop-era model with recent scandals on its head, has been losing the umpteen. In addition to this, the gradual emergence of cutting-edge social platforms with more functions and features is challenging the ageing Facebook.
Impact of Social Media Platforms on Generation Z:
Smartphones being one monochrome element, with the prevalent growth of users, teens report that they use internet facilities on a near-constant basis. About 45% of the teens in the survey, says that they’re online almost everytime. This has doubled since the last 2015 survey wherein it was reported to be at merely 24%. About 44% of teens admit to going online, multiple times a day, necessarily or unnecessarily.
However, there is no definite consensus among these teenagers, about the eventual impact of social media on their lives. Again, roughly 31% of teens believe that social media has a positive impact on their lives, while 24% describe it to be negative. A considerable section i.e., about 45 percent of the teens believe that the impact of social media is rather bland.
The survey contains a handful of colourful quotes from few of the teens, including one 14-year-old girl. These describe how social media services have also been a major facilitator of acquiring worldwide information, which was never so quick and sorted in the past.
