Data from Insider Intelligence attributes Facebook’s decline in numbers to millennial and gen Z audiences, their lack of interest in the platform powering said decline.
So, to the surprise of literally no one below the age of forty, millennials and gen Z got tired of a platform that mostly harbors Minions memes and baby boomers who, well, tend not to get along with other ages. Sure, Facebook started in 2004 as a hip, trendy online platform for the younger generation and managed to connect with them as well. However, a multitude of different reasons has managed to alienate that very audience from the platform as well. For starters, there are rampant privacy invasion accusations and lawsuits hurled at the company ad infinitum. Secondly, there’s the advent of other platforms that connect with the gen Z experience of visual over text media much more than Facebook. Finally, there’s the alienation that comes from having a generation of uncles and aunts finally figuring out the platform, leading to all sorts of minor annoyances. Whether it be your aunt talking about Roe v. Wade with unfunny jokes from 1980’s newspaper comic strips like the oversimplifications make it better, or it is random creepy men in their 50s like old photos of you and sending friend requests, Facebook just isn’t the place to be right now.
Insider Intelligence’s numbers state that Facebook’s monthly user numbers will end up plateauing this year, instead of increasing. From there on, future projections see the platform losing approximately 2.1 million users within the next two years, by 2024. Facebook’s monthly user base, peaking at a strong 179.7 million in 2021, will have declined to approximately 177.6 million by 2026. 2026, while projected to be a stable year for the platform, will still bring its difficulties and challenges. Many of these will materialize in the form of younger individuals no longer interested in the platform. As a matter of fact, of the projected 2.1 million users expected to give up on Facebook, 1.6 million are expected to be individuals within the age ranges of 18 to 24. While it's mostly gen Z that falls within this age gap, millennials (ages 26 to 41) will also see an approximate 2.1% drop in numbers.
Frankly, the fallout’s difficult to estimate; Meta is a powerful company, which still has its hands on a platform that youngsters like – Instagram. Not to mention, with audiences being ever so fickle, there are always chances that Facebook’s popularity might unexpectedly rise.
Read next: A new study points out the biggest threat to the potential of TikTok as it lacks massive earnings for creators compared to rivals
So, to the surprise of literally no one below the age of forty, millennials and gen Z got tired of a platform that mostly harbors Minions memes and baby boomers who, well, tend not to get along with other ages. Sure, Facebook started in 2004 as a hip, trendy online platform for the younger generation and managed to connect with them as well. However, a multitude of different reasons has managed to alienate that very audience from the platform as well. For starters, there are rampant privacy invasion accusations and lawsuits hurled at the company ad infinitum. Secondly, there’s the advent of other platforms that connect with the gen Z experience of visual over text media much more than Facebook. Finally, there’s the alienation that comes from having a generation of uncles and aunts finally figuring out the platform, leading to all sorts of minor annoyances. Whether it be your aunt talking about Roe v. Wade with unfunny jokes from 1980’s newspaper comic strips like the oversimplifications make it better, or it is random creepy men in their 50s like old photos of you and sending friend requests, Facebook just isn’t the place to be right now.
Insider Intelligence’s numbers state that Facebook’s monthly user numbers will end up plateauing this year, instead of increasing. From there on, future projections see the platform losing approximately 2.1 million users within the next two years, by 2024. Facebook’s monthly user base, peaking at a strong 179.7 million in 2021, will have declined to approximately 177.6 million by 2026. 2026, while projected to be a stable year for the platform, will still bring its difficulties and challenges. Many of these will materialize in the form of younger individuals no longer interested in the platform. As a matter of fact, of the projected 2.1 million users expected to give up on Facebook, 1.6 million are expected to be individuals within the age ranges of 18 to 24. While it's mostly gen Z that falls within this age gap, millennials (ages 26 to 41) will also see an approximate 2.1% drop in numbers.
Frankly, the fallout’s difficult to estimate; Meta is a powerful company, which still has its hands on a platform that youngsters like – Instagram. Not to mention, with audiences being ever so fickle, there are always chances that Facebook’s popularity might unexpectedly rise.
Read next: A new study points out the biggest threat to the potential of TikTok as it lacks massive earnings for creators compared to rivals
