Facebook gradually becomes worthless to young users

In the context that young generations (Gen Z) have more and more access to social networks and the Internet, Facebook has lost many users. Specifically, according to research just released by Pew Research Center on August 10, only 32% of teenagers aged 13-17 in the US use the social network Facebook. This is considered a sad figure, because in a report in 2014-2015, this platform used to account for more than 70% of users – something that Instagram or Snapchat always “dreams of”.

TechCrunch quoted Jules Terpak, a Gen Z content creator, as saying that today’s young people no longer find value in Facebook.

“ There are more than 5 social media platforms now. We can’t always prioritize one platform, so there will be a tendency to gradually eliminate platforms that start to lack value ,” asserted Terpak, adding that Facebook, which teenagers often used to keep in touch with parents, is getting boring.

“ The culture built by Facebook users is very different from what might appeal to Gen Z ,” said Jules Terpak.

According to TechCrunch, even in 2013, when 77% of users used Facebook, teenagers still had some negative feelings about the platform.

“Facebook crept into the daily lives of young people, but it is seen as a tool or obligation to the family instead of an interesting platform,” said the Pew Research Center.

The above report also shows that these young users are paying special attention to social networking platforms other than Facebook. This trend has lasted until now, thereby causing Facebook to lose its “population”.

An internal document revealed by former Facebook employee Frances Haugen also shows that since the beginning of 2021, the number of teenagers using Facebook has decreased by 13% compared to 2019. This number is expected to decrease further. continued to 45% over the next two years and is bad news for advertising, which accounts for the majority of Meta’s revenue.

“ Young people see Facebook as a platform for 40-50 year olds. They find the above content very boring and negative ,” reads Facebook’s 2021 internal document.

As of May 2022, according to the Economist, in Facebook’s five most important countries, the number of new user account registrations under the age of 18 has decreased by a quarter over the course of a year. Mark Zuckerberg himself also admitted that it is true that Facebook is “indifferent” to young users in the context of major competitors, especially TikTok, are constantly expanding.

However, there is a positive news for Meta that young people are still very interested in Instagram. Specifically, 62% of Gen Z are still using this photo-sharing app, up sharply from 52% in 2014-2015.

However, one problem is happening, that Instagram is being considered “lost” and gradually becoming too much like TikTok. The changes after the launch of the Reels short video feature made users feel uncomfortable when old Instagram accounts full of friends were replaced by a “TikTok clone” full of strangers.

In response to this mixed reaction, Mr. Mosseri, head of Instagram, said that Instagram is focusing on entertainment and creative users. Statuses from friends are also being adjusted to appear more often on stories.

“ We need to grow because the world is changing so fast. We had to change with it ,” Mosseri said, adding that he would try to keep friends content at the top of the feed. ” We recognize that changes to the application are subject to change, and we need time to make sure we’re getting it right ,” a Meta spokesperson said.

Previously, a survey of 1,316 Gen Z on social media usage by Pew Research Center showed that TikTok captures the majority of young people’s attention, of which 19% said they use this short video social network. almost continuously. Meanwhile, only 2% said they use Facebook regularly.

Via: Techcrunch, WSJ