Report: Youth Abandoning Facebook

Facebook is increasingly becoming a site for older users according to an online measurement company. eMarketer says last year saw a drop in younger users that was nearly three times bigger than it forecast.

This time last year the company predicted that the number of 12-17 year olds using Facebook would drop by 3.4 percent. That was significant as it was the first time it predicted any form of drop among any age group.

Retirees The Main Growth Area

A new report from the company says in reality the drop was 9.9 percent. It also says there was an overall fall in users among under-25s, something it predicts will happen again this year. The figures are only estimates, so it's likely they aren't perfectly accurate, but it's likely the wider trends are correct.

It doesn't appear to be specific to the US either: eMarketer also predicts that younger users will continue abandon the site in the UK, while the numbers will increase among over 45s, with retirees the fastest-growing demographic. (Source: theguardian.com)

Several sources have rival theories for the pattern. One is that it's a self-fulfilling prophecy with younger users not wanting to use Facebook because they see it as uncool and dominated by older users. (Source: gizmodo.com)

Youngsters May Not Like 'Permanent' Record

Another idea is that Facebook's main benefits simply don't appeal to younger people. That theory goes that older users like the idea that they have a long-lasting record of their lives and events that acts almost as a family journal or photo album.

In contrast, younger users are supposedly more interested in "living in the moment" and the idea that interactions are transient. That might explain the continued growth among young users of tools such as Snapchat where messages and photographs are automatically deleted almost immediately after being viewed. Some analysts believe this reduces the social pressure for photographs to be "perfect" and always create an idealistic image.

In theory the shift to an older demographic might be a problem for Facebook as marketers traditionally target young adults who have a lot of disposable income. In practice that may not be a big issue given that Facebook is able to offer extremely targeted advertising.

What's Your Opinion?

Have you noticed a shifting pattern in the ages of your friends and family who do or don't use Facebook? Do you think this trend will continue? How do you think this will change the Facebook experience?