As Indian Facebook users become more mobile, the social networking site is focusing on building smartphone applications that will speed up its growth process.
Facebook usage in India is second to the United States with around 114 million users. Though the U.S. has the most number of active users, a recent study from Princeton University students has raised concerns about the future of Facebook in the country. According to the study predictions, Facebook membership in the U.S. is expected to drop by 80 percent by 2017.
The social network has shifted focus to the Indian market for its steady growth. The users in India are adaptive and tech savvy. Facebook membership has grown rapidly in the country, which had only 8 million users in 2010 and has more than 114 million now. The company hopes to connect up to 400 million Indian users through its extensive network.
"Everyone gets that offline is moving to digital and within that mobile is the biggest component," Dan Neary, vice president for Facebook in Asia Pacific told the Economic Times.
While a large group shifted interest from TVs to mobile, advertisement has already begun its journey in this direction. According to ET, 84 percent of India's Facebook users are accessing the site from their smartphones. The social networking giant is planning on focusing more on mobiles in India.
Facebook is also looking forward to the WhatsApp deal, which was announced earlier in February. The multi-billion deal to acquire the instant messaging service will not just help Facebook reach a bigger audience but it can also take advantage of its deep presence in India. WhatsApp regarded India as its biggest market, Neary added.
News of declining numbers of Facebook users in the U.S. has been making headlines for a while now. The social networking site only adds 1 million people per quarter in the country, according to a Business Insider report. Facebook already has a staggering 1.28 billion users across the world, which is equal to over half of the global internet audience, except China, the report added.
