There have been several articles lately about declining Facebook numbers. Inside Facebook revealed that despite a record 7.8 million new users added in May, there was a huge June slump with only about 320,000 new members. Does this mean that Facebook is on a decline? Our opinion is a calculated “No”. The usage numbers are better described as “The Participation Plateau.” The Plateau effect occurs over time as users’ interests and lives demand change. The plateau also explains the complaint we often hear from users in their 40’s, 50’s and 60’s—they just don’t have enough time to Facebook.
To understand how Facebook has plateaued, it’s important to understand the composition of users. Teen and twenty-something users were the first to convert to Facebook. Inside Facebook statistics show that this segment still makes up about 50% of all Facebook users. If you look at usage amongst 18 to 44 year olds, this larger group comprises about 75% of all users.
PEW Internet , studying the use of Social Media by Generation Y, concludes “by 2020 Generation Y … will have ‘grown out’ of much of their use of social networks.” Yes, in ten years these users will have aged from their teens and twenties into their thirties when family and career demands will dramatically increase in their lives. Simple logic explains that increased life demands diminish the time allotted for Social Media.
Social Media usage, particularly Facebook, is divided between reading and posting. Youthful users check their news feeds, post their status, and comment on their friend’s status more frequently than other age groups. They have time to click and explore and share events and news among their friends and followers. When full time work and family replace schooling, less time is available, so these activities shift as users age into more demanding lives. This also explains why retired users are increasing quickly – freed up from career demands, they have more time available for social media pursuits.
Even with a dramatic 96% plummet in new user growth between May and June of 2010, Facebook usage is not slowing down. And Facebook, like other Social Media, is not going away. It could be that Facebook is finally reaching the top level of interested people with computer access and this kind of plateau is part of any normal business cycle. While the numbers may fluctuate, new users are still coming into Facebook.
So if you have teeter-tottering about the value of getting active in Social Media we still recommend this highly valuable marketing method to stay in touch with customers and prospects, as well as being a fun social outlet!
Inside Facebook: https://www.insidefacebook.com/2010/07/06/facebooks-june-2010-us-traffic-by-age-and-sex-users-aged-18-44-take-a-break-2/
PEW Internet: https://pewinternet.org
