Facebook says it is not dead. Facebook also wants you to know that it is not just for B次元官网网址渙ld people,B次元官网网址� as young people have been saying for years.
Now, with the biggest thorn in its side B次元官网网址� TikTok B次元官网网址� facing heightened government scrutiny amid growing tensions between the U.S. and China, Facebook could, perhaps, position itself as a viable, domestic-bred alternative.
ThereB次元官网网址檚 just one problem: young adults like Devin Walsh have moved on.
B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 even remember the last time I logged in. It must have been years ago,B次元官网网址� said Walsh, 24, who lives in Manhattan and works in public relations.
Instead, she checks Instagram, which is also owned by Facebook parent company Meta, about five or six times a day. Then thereB次元官网网址檚 TikTok, of course, where she spends about an hour each day scrolling, letting the algorithm find things B次元官网网址淚 didnB次元官网网址檛 even know I was interested in.B次元官网网址�
Walsh canB次元官网网址檛 imagine a world in which Facebook, which she joined when she was in 6th grade, becomes a regular part of her life again.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 the branding, right? When I think of Facebook, I think ugh, like cheugy, older people, like parents posting pictures of their kids, random status updates and also people fighting about political issues,B次元官网网址� Walsh said, using the Gen Z term for things that are definitely not cool.
The once-cool social media platform born before the iPhone is approaching two decades in existence. For those who came of age around the time Mark Zuckerberg launched thefacebook.com from his Harvard dorm room in 2004, itB次元官网网址檚 been inextricably baked into daily life B次元官网网址� even if itB次元官网网址檚 somewhat faded into the background over the years.
Facebook faces a particularly odd challenge. Today, 3 billion people check it each month. ThatB次元官网网址檚 more than a third of the worldB次元官网网址檚 population. And 2 billion log in every day. Yet it still finds itself in a battle for relevancy, and its future, after two decades of existence.
For younger generations B次元官网网址� those who signed up in middle school, or those who are now in middle school, itB次元官网网址檚 decidedly not the place to be. Without this trend-setting demographic, Facebook, still the main source of revenue for parent company Meta, risks fading into the background B次元官网网址� utilitarian but boring, like email.
It wasnB次元官网网址檛 always like this. For nearly a decade, Facebook was the place to be, the cultural touchstone, the thing constantly referenced in daily conversations and late-night TV, its founding even the subject of a Hollywood movie. Rival MySpace, which launched only a year earlier, quickly became outdated as the cool kids flocked to Facebook. It didnB次元官网网址檛 help MySpaceB次元官网网址檚 fate that it was sold to stodgy old B次元官网网址 Corp. in 2005.
B次元官网网址淚t was this weird combinationB次元官网网址o one knew how technology worked, but in order to have a MySpace, we all needed to become mini coders. It was so stressful.B次元官网网址� said Moira Gaynor, 28. B次元官网网址淢aybe thatB次元官网网址檚 even why Facebook took off. Because compared to MySpace it was this beautiful, integrated, wonderful engagement area that we didnB次元官网网址檛 have before and we really craved after struggling with MySpace for so long.B次元官网网址�
Positioning himself a visionary, Zuckerberg refused to sell Facebook and pushed his company through the mobile revolution. While some rivals emerged B次元官网网址� remember Orkut? B次元官网网址� they generally petered out as Facebook soared, seemingly unstoppable despite scandals over user privacy and a failure to address hate speech and misinformation adequately. It reached a billion daily users in 2015.
Debra Aho Williamson, an analyst with Insider Intelligence whoB次元官网网址檚 followed Facebook since its early days, notes that the siteB次元官网网址檚 younger users have been dwindling but doesnB次元官网网址檛 see Facebook going anywhere, at least not any time soon.
B次元官网网址淭he fact that we are talking about Facebook being 20 years old, I think that is a testament of what Mark developed when he was in college. ItB次元官网网址檚 pretty incredible,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚t is still a very powerful platform around the world.B次元官网网址�
AOL was once powerful too, but its user base has aged and now an aol.com email address is little more than a punchline in a joke about technologically illiterate people of a certain age.
Tom Alison, who serves as the head of Facebook (ZuckerbergB次元官网网址檚 title is now Meta CEO), sounded optimistic when he outlined the platformB次元官网网址檚 plans to lure in young adults in an interview with The Associated Press.
B次元官网网址淲e used to have a team at Facebook that was focused on younger cohorts, or maybe there was a project or two that was dedicated to coming up with new ideas,B次元官网网址� Alison said. B次元官网网址淎nd about two years ago we said no B次元官网网址� our entire product line needs to change and evolve and adapt to the needs of the young adults.B次元官网网址�
He calls it the era of B次元官网网址渟ocial discovery.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 very much motivated by what we see the next generation wanting from social media. The simple way that I like to describe it is we want Facebook to be the place where you can connect with the people you know, the people you want to know and the people that you should know,B次元官网网址� Alison said.
Artificial intelligence is central to this plan. Just as TikTok uses its AI and algorithm to show people videos they didnB次元官网网址檛 know they wanted to see Facebook is hoping to harness its powerful technology to win back the hearts and eyeballs of young adults. Reels, the TikTok-like videos Facebook and Instagram users are bombarded with when they log into both apps, are also key. And, of course, private messaging.
B次元官网网址淲hat we are seeing is more people wanting to share reels, discuss reels, and weB次元官网网址檙e starting to integrate messaging features back into the app to again allow Facebook to be a place where not only do you discover great things that are relevant to you, but you share and you discuss those with people,B次元官网网址� Alison said.
Facebook has consistently declined to disclose user demographics, which would shed some light on how it is faring among young adults. But outside researchers say their numbers are declining. The same is true for teenagers B次元官网网址� although Facebook seems to have stepped back from actively recruiting teens amid concerns about social mediaB次元官网网址檚 effects on their mental health.
B次元官网网址淵oung people often shape the future of communication. I mean, thatB次元官网网址檚 basically how Facebook took off B次元官网网址� young people gravitated toward it. And we we see that happening with pretty much every social platform that has come on the scene since Facebook,B次元官网网址� said Williamson. This year, Insider estimates that about half of TikTokB次元官网网址檚 users are between the ages of 12 and 24.
Williamson doesnB次元官网网址檛 see this trend reversing, but notes that InsiderB次元官网网址檚 estimates only go as far as 2026. ThereB次元官网网址檚 a decline, but itB次元官网网址檚 slow. That year, the research firm expects about 28% of U.S. FacebookB次元官网网址檚 users to be between 18 and 34 years old, compared with nearly 46% for TikTok and 42% for Instagram. The numbers are more stark for teens aged 12-17.
B次元官网网址淚 think the best thing they could do is get away from being a social platform. Like theyB次元官网网址檝e lost that. But hey, if they want to become the new Yellow Pages, why not?B次元官网网址� said Gaynor, who lives in San Diego, California and works in government. B次元官网网址淚 really like Marketplace. I recently just moved, so that was where I got most of my furniture.B次元官网网址�
By Barbara Ortutay
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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