Young people under 25 are increasingly turning to Snapchat, according to eMarketer data released today. Facebook remains the most popular social networking site in the US, despite these changes.
In 2018, the number of people 12-17 year old and 18-24 year old who use Facebook is expected to decline by 5.6% and 5.8%. “This is the first time eMarketer has predicted a decline in Facebook users in the 18-24 group,”. The company commented in a statement. “And this year for the first time, less than half of Internet users aged 12 to 17 will use Facebook for the first time,” eMarketer added.
The estimates show that Facebook will be losing 2 million users under the age of 25 in 2017.
Snapchat’s growth potential is said to be the highest with that estimated at 1.9 million more users under 25. That is compared to 1.6 million for Instagram. Instagram is still the dominant social media platform in terms of number of users this year. The company marked a projected increase from 104.7 million to 116.8 million U.S users. Snapchat is expected to see a 9.3% increase in its total number of users.
The Facebook user base is expected to remain at 169.5 million users in 2018. “Snapchat may be able to attract the older age groups if it reconfigures its platform to make it simpler to use,” commented Debra Ajo Williamson, an analyst at eMarketer. “The question is whether younger people will still think Snapchat is cool when their parents and grandparents start using it,” she added. “This is exactly the sensitive issue Facebook is facing.”
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Author: PC-GR
The World of Technology
