This is why young people have been leaving Facebook
Facebook was the most downloaded app in the 2010s and it was initially a platform promoted by young people. How did it become an app that young people associate with baby-boomers or the older generations?
Facebook was founded by 20-year-old Mark Zuckerberg and friends, in a Harvard University dormitory. Facebook was the product of a younger generation looking for new ways to connect people with friends and family. Facebook's initial success took place among young people in North America's university campuses. That was just a few years ago in human years but centuries ago in tech years.
Facebook became so popular among young people that at some point every young person looking for a job was expected to have a Facebook profile in their official name with enough pictures to prove they were human.
Checking a job candidate's Facebook profile to see if they had any compromising post on their "Facebook wall" seemed like a good way to measure their IQ level.
Today a growing number of young people avoid Facebook and prefer apps like Snapchat, TikTok and Instagram (Instagram is owned by Facebook and is in fact Facebook without Facebook).
These are the main reasons Facebook has lost its popularity among young people.
1. Too many parents
Facebook is the platform that many young people's parents use regularly. Some of their older family members seem to never leave Facebook and cannot miss any update.
Many young people avoid Facebook to avoid sharing personal matters with judgemental family members. The popularity of Facebook among young people started declining as the platform became more popular with their parents.
2. Not enough privacy
Facebook requires members to use their real name. It's easier for old friends and family members to find someone who is using their real name but it's also easier for government officials, employers and business clients to find out more about someone's personal life.
A Pew Research study says that “young adults generally are more focused than their elders when it comes to online privacy.”
Young adults take more security measures for their online privacy than their elders
3. Too much stuff to read
Picture and video-based applications like Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat are more popular among young people, especially teens. Facebook has more textual content and requires more effort to engage with people.
4. Not enough influencers
Facebook became popular before influencers and entertainers became the driving force behind social media apps like Instagram and TikTok. Young people are more interested in what their friends and their favorite celebrities do.
Facebook has pictures of babies, grandmas and grandpas while TikTok has videos from entertainers and influencers.
5. More of the same
Facebook was designed to connect friends and family members. The problem is that many people have too many boring family members.
Content from ordinary people can seem repetitive and dull after a while. Apps which connect strangers and focus on entertainment have a greater appeal for younger people who just want to have fun.
6. Too much drama
Facebook has been reported by whistleblower Frances Haugen, a former data scientist at Facebook, to favor sensational and divisive content because such content gets more engagement (likes and comments).
As a result, Facebook can be a stressful place where young people have to deal with conflictual relationships and stressful discussions on a regular basis.
7. Too many adverts
Some people complain that there are sometimes more advertisements displayed on Facebook than notifications about friends. Users don’t pay to use Facebook, so Facebook sells their attention to advertisers.
Since ads are targeted based on a user's browsing history, the more Facebook knows about you the more you can be targeted by businesses.
8. Facebook suffers from Interface bloat
Facebook's user interface is bloated and is a contrast with the minimalistic interfaces presented by other popular social media platforms. The amount of information presented on a single page can be exhausting after a while.
Facebook looks like a Frankenstein built from years of multivariate testing instead of an app designed to serve a specific purpose. The complexity of the interface coupled with the large amount of information bombarded at eyeballs can lead to Facebook fatigue.
Apps like Snapchat and Instagram are more focused and contained. They offer fewer options and a more pleasant experience for people who are interested in those few options.
Facebook is full of bloatware
9. Too many fake friends
Facebook has been a victim of its own success. It wants to connect real people with real friends and family.
However people end up over time with up to 5,000 "friends" who are for the majority, nothing more than perfect strangers with access to details of their personal life. These perfect strangers can know their medical conditions, save pictures of their kids, of their house, of their family reunions, etc.
10. Young people just want to have fun
Young people are more more interested in entertainment than sharing details of their private life with judgemental family members. They want to delay the time when they are required to have a public presence online.
Teens prefer platforms where they can assume many identities with a focus on mindless entertainment like TikTok. Young people prefer to produce and consume media without having to think about the future repercussions of a post and the impact on their reputation.
