by John Marquardt
A couple of years ago, if one polled teenagers about which website was most important to them, the vast majority would all agree: Facebook was a huge part of their lives. However, Facebook has recently been falling behind its rivals in terms of usage. According to istrategylab.com, the number of teen Facebook users has declined by 25.3 percent over the last three years. This poses the question: is Facebook not cutting it?
Facebook has begun to fall behind its competitors, and creator Mark Zuckerberg knows it. As a result, Zuckerberg has begun to launch multiple attempts at riding the successes of other apps, such as duplicating Snapchat’s self-destructing messages. This is something borrowed, but it isn’t something new. That is exactly what teens don’t like. Facebook stooped low and ripped off other networks.
One possibility why Facebook popularity is declining is due to many design flaws found on Facebook. One of the biggest complaints is geared towards the Messenger app, which is essentially the messaging feature of Facebook, but separated into its own app. This means one would have to switch tabs in order to message someone, which is not the only inconvenience. The app constantly nags users with notifications, requests access to cellular programs such as the microphone and contacts, and ultimately does not bring anything new to the table.
If the Messenger app was optional, these issues would be completely reasonable, but Facebook has alerted users that the option to message straight from the main app will be taken down.
Additionally, teens have been moving on to other networks to hide from parents. There are many social networks whose existence goes unknown to parents, such as Kik and Yik Yak. Many teens are moving on to more obscure networks simply because their parents are not aware of them. After all, how can your parents secretly snoop through your phone if they do not know what app you’re using in the first place?
Also, teens are turned off to some extent by the abundance of adult users Facebook now has. After all, no one wants to make a post about their private lives when parents can freely view them. But what does this have to do with Facebook boring teens? According to a study on pewinternet.org, a whopping 71% of all online adults use Facebook. It is most likely that the mass of adults wandering around Facebook is really showing teenagers that the website is old school.
Of course, there is another likely possibility. Teens have exhausted their interest in Facebook. It seems simple: people get bored easily. This is just human nature. If someone sticks to a routine far too often, it becomes tedious and uninteresting. Social networks are no exception. To some, Facebook has become less of a fun time, and more of a chore needed to connect with family and friends.
Facebook is simply old news. New apps are showing up faster than one can say “social network”. New apps are not just showing up in abundance; they are packing all kinds of new features into themselves. Instagram has photography-based communication. Twitter allows someone to follow a trend they are interested in. Snapchat has self-destructing messages.
What does Facebook have that these others don’t? Games? Yawn…
This change in interest is inevitable. Many things have come and gone in society, and evolution of human interest is immenent. Much like its predecessor, Myspace, Facebook will eventually fade away into nonexistence.