Facebook's popularity has been falling. It has been unsuccessful in retaining its younger user-base, which is now shifting to alternatives like Twitter and Instagram owing to increasing number of adult users.
It is common knowledge that Facebook is failing to sustain its younger user-base and teens are moving to alternative social networks and messaging platforms like Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp and Snapchat. A latest Global Social Media Impact Study not only echoes the current trend in the decreasing user-base on Facebook, but also claims that the social network's popularity among teens is just plain "dead."
The results of the study are based on a survey conducted among teens aged between 16 to 18-years-old across eight European countries. The study found that teens were least concerned about the level of sophistication or the lack of features in other social networks. They were aware of how and where their information is being used commercially for surveillance practices by different agencies.
Teens were more attracted to easy-to-use apps that were more suitable for an on-the-go platform like Twitter and WhatsApp.
"Mostly they feel embarrassed to even be associated with it," Daniel Miller, lead anthropologist on the research team, who is professor of material culture of University College London, wrote in an article for The Conversation, last week. "Where once parents worried about their children joining Facebook, the children now say it is their family that insists they stay there to post about their lives."
Miller also noted that teens label Facebook "uncool" as more adults, like their parents and older relatives, join the site and try to connect virtually. "What appears to be the most seminal moment in a young person's decision to leave Facebook was surely that dreaded day your mum sends you a friend request," he said.
Technically speaking, Facebook is by far the most-advanced social network currently available. It offers users a better understanding of sharing photos, organizing albums and getting information about others lives by reading their posts. The site has over a billion users and is regarded as the largest social network. The popularity of the site started off with growing teen users, but now more adults have joined Facebook to stay connected with their children, siblings, friends and relatives. This has led teens to flee to other services like Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp and others, which do not offer competitive features like Facebook.
However, the study also found that teens still keep their profiles active on Facebook to connect with older members of their family and siblings who are away for education and jobs.
