Is Facebook losing its fame? Why is it afraid of Snapchat?
Is Facebook losing its popularity? This question is being asked by hundreds and thousands of people. Will it lose its users in the coming years? Know what Facebook wants and why is it interested to buy Snapchat?
Facebook being used by 1.2 billion users and recently celebrated its tenth birthday. No other social network till today has got such a popularity. But in this world, what's accepted today will be outdated tomorrow. Will the same happen to Facebook? Some say NO and some people even show proofs. Let's see why Facebook will fail and what changes are required to it. Why Facebook failed to impress Teens?
Facebook - is a place to share our pics, videos, opinions with friends and getting news updates etc. Everything is fine till that limit. Many share their personal opinions to friends and some to public, its a sharing platform. It was custom made for students i.e. teens by Zuckerberg in Harward. But the entire scenario seemed to be different now. New registrants, particularly teens are not paying attention to Facebook and there's a BIG reason behind this.
Facebook is crowded with millions of users due the hype, but most of them are no frequent visitors. It's just a place to meet their parted friends and make friends with strangers. Recent demographics indicate that people of age groups 55 are actively using Facebook. Many users(teens) don't want their likes, interests and shares to be seen by their family members. The decline of 13-17 age group teens activity on Facebook shows it all. Who can share something publicly when their Father, Mother are watching them everyday?
They are shifting to better platforms like Snapchat, where they get more privacy. This is the reason why Zuckerberg is showing interest in buying Snapchat. News is that Mark offered a $3 billion open offer for Snapchat.
Facebook users pay no attention to their friends' profiles?
I cannot say that every Facebook user will pay no attention, but a majority of the especially in India pay no attention to their friends. This statement holds true if they don't know their friends outside Facebook. This is not an assumption, one of my friends proved it a month ago. And here is what has happened.
He's got 400+ plus friends in Facebook and he just knew 40 per cent of them outside Facebook. He is very active and he updates his status every day by sharing useful information. Last month he cut the relationship with almost 400 of his friends by unfriending them. To his surprise he got no friend requests (except 2) from them and no one asked the reason for his activity. What does this indicate? No friend (except best ones) cares our presence on Facebook, they just care for their own benefits.
It is true that every FBian gives first preference to his/her profiles and next his best friends he knew outside Facebook. I'm sure that even my friend wouldn't have cared if one of his friends did the same. Moreover, 2+ out of 10 people have more than one Facebook account (This is based on an observation made by inquiring approximately 1000 teens in a college). A friend of mine is maintaining 15 Facebook accounts and he's active on all. So, this gives a clear notification that total Facebook users should be lesser that what official demographics say.
I don't mean that Facebook is of no use, its being used in a improper way particularly in major developing countries like India. Alongside using it for a change, getting latest news updates, supporting a cause and many more, its being misused by false profiles by promoting nonsense.Great things finds an end when not upgraded
Many experts like Warren Buffett, Vint Cerf doubted Facebook's future. But their expectations went wrong and Facebook out performed after its IPO. Even Zukerberg didn't expect that Facebook will make him a billionaire. So, it is highly impossible for such a platform with millions of fans to find an end over night. As said above, recent demographics show that teens aren't preferring Facebook, instead they are shifting to platforms like Snapchat where they find more privacy. Even Facebook accepts this and that's the reason why it offered a $3 billion offer to Evan Spiegel, the CEO and founder of Snapchat.
Facebook is trying to change itself with its users and trying to match their interests. Acquisition of Instagram is the best example. Also, several changes have been made to its UI and design with time to make current users stick to it. But with increasing popularity of Google plus, Snapchat and other popular messenger apps like WeChat, Line etc its really a tough time for Facebook. Why is it afraid of Snapchat? Its just because teens need privacy which they're unable to find it on Facebook. Of course they can change settings or block someone from seeing their profile. But that's not the only reason behind.
That unique feature of auto deletion (or hidden) of your snaps is something new for them and developed a secure feeling in them. Also, people who use Facebook just for messaging shifted to other platforms which are custom made for just chats. So, I think I'm right in saying that Facebook is definitely losing its popularity especially among teens. Did I miss anything? Drop your words below.
Read How to build a social networking site - starter's guide
No, thats not true. Demand for Facebook is increasing day by day.