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While I want them to be true, the claims that Facebook is dying don't seem to be supported by data. Facebook's recent engagement report (also posted on HN) sho

While I want them to be true, the claims that Facebook is dying don't seem to be supported by data. Facebook's recent engagement report (also posted on HN) showed that the percentage of users 25-31 has grown by 32%. The percentage of people 35-51 grew by 41%. And the percentage of those over 55 grew by 88%. What other commenters probably mean to say is that Facebook is dying among teenagers. Even so, the website still has over 13 million teen users. And the users in the older groups are arguably more valuable from a financial standpoint because they have direct access to more disposable income. Maybe you're skeptical of the report because Facebook helped generate it. Okay, I can understand that. But even if the numbers have been inflated to benefit Facebook's platform, I think you'll be hard-pressed to find any legitimate, large-scale study that doesn't show significant growth in the 25+ demographic. Uncool? I think so, and a relatively small demographic of young people agrees with me. Dying? Definitely not. http://istrategylabs.com/2014/01/3-million-teens-leave-facebook-in-3-years-the-2014-facebook-demographic-report/ http://istrategylabs.com/2014/01/3-million-teens-leave-faceb...

vidarh 13y ago
The problem is that their potential base of new users is rapidly diminishing, while they've seemingly started burning the younger end. They may very well be a very long way from irrelevance, but teens grow up. If the teens who are now starting to turn away from Facebook keep disliking it also when it becomes socially possible for them to totally ignore it, and younger kids does not take it up as much, then that will have ripple effects also amongst older users (e.g. my mother uses Facebook mostly to keep up with pictures of grandchildren and the like). And these things can turn very quickly. I remember more social networks that used to be cool than I care for (anyone remember sixdegrees.com from 1997?)
- waterlesscloud 13y ago
  It's unknown, though, if the teens won't sign up when they grow up to an age where Facebook is less of a social negative for them.

vidarh 13y ago

The problem is that their potential base of new users is rapidly diminishing, while they've seemingly started burning the younger end. They may very well be a very long way from irrelevance, but teens grow up. If the teens who are now starting to turn away from Facebook keep disliking it also when it becomes socially possible for them to totally ignore it, and younger kids does not take it up as much, then that will have ripple effects also amongst older users (e.g. my mother uses Facebook mostly to keep up with pictures of grandchildren and the like). And these things can turn very quickly. I remember more social networks that used to be cool than I care for (anyone remember sixdegrees.com from 1997?)

waterlesscloud 13y ago
It's unknown, though, if the teens won't sign up when they grow up to an age where Facebook is less of a social negative for them.