Facebook Maintains Popularity, But For How Long?

There is no denying Facebook's stronghold in the social media realm, but the grasp it's had on its users appears to be weakening slightly. In a new survery conducted by Pew Research Center, Facebook's usership shows the most engagement, but no growth between 2013 and 2014. Other platforms such as Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram experienced significant growth during that year. Is Facebook losing touch? Possibly. 

The exception to the lack in Facebook user growth is older adults. While the platform overall saw no growth, the user demographic shifted notably as 56% of internet users over the age of 65 are now using Facebook. The survey shows 52% of online adults use more than one social media site, but for those who only use one, 79% are Facebook users. 

The Pew Research Report shares these statistics based on the 81% of American Adults who use the internet:

• Multi-platform use is on the rise: 52% of online adults now use two or more social media sites, a significant increase from 2013, when it stood at 42% of internet users.
• For the first time, more than half of all online adults 65 and older (56%) use Facebook. This represents 31% of all seniors.
• For the first time, roughly half of internet-using young adults ages 18-29 (53%) use Instagram. And half 0f all Instagram users (49%) use the site daily.
• For the first time, the share of internet users with college educations using LinkedIn reached 50%.
• Women dominate Pinterest: 42% of online women now use the platform, compared with 13% of online men.

While the user base hasn't seen the same increase as it's competitors, it has maintained its activity. 70% of Facebook users engage with the site on a daily basis and 45% of them are engaging multiple times a day. Though usership is holding its own, and engagement is staying high, the number of Facebook users actively engaging with other platforms is increasing. As users begin to explore other options, Facebook might be the new face of "friend-zoned".