Facebook is losing its user base in Ireland as reports from its own sales statistics show.
In analyzing the statistical data, Cork-based Mulley Communications found out that at the beginning of this year, 2.9 million active Irish people were using Facebook. This number went down to its current 2.6 million active users as of today.
The analysts also found out that the decrease in the number of active users was particularly rampant among teens and young adults. Compared with the number of users in the 13-35 age category at the start of the year, there are now 200,000 fewer kids active on Facebook. Also, in the last nine months, there was a decline of around 150,000 to 100,000 teenage users of Facebook.
Interestingly, in the 50 and older age category, there was no recorded decline in the number of active users. The report indicates that there are still around 600,000 older Irish people who are still actively using Facebook.
This also means that there is now more than twice the number of people over the age of 65 who are using Facebook as compared with users in the 18 or younger category. This may be true as of the moment, but it seems that it is about to change in the coming months as reports say that adult users getting disgruntled with Facebook in the light of various scandals and privacy issues that company is facing.
Damien Mulley of Mulley Communications said that although teens are choosing Instagram and Snapchat for their social networking fix, there were also great losses in the overall demographics of Facebook users.
“In January there was only a difference of 20,000 users, now it’s 70,000 users,” said Damien Mulley of Mulley Communications, speaking to the Independent about the gap between Irish teenagers and pensioners using Facebook.
“While less teens are joining Facebook and go direct to Snapchat and Instagram, there were great losses in most demographics,” said Mr Mulley. “This could be attributed to social media burnout and the fashion of decreasing screen time. Some attribution could be made for the deletion of fake accounts but the decreases are not consistent across the demographics. With nearly every Facebook news article being about privacy violations, Mark Zuckerberg testifying in front of congress and documentaries like ‘The Great Hack’, the public are saying they have deleted their accounts.”
Another factor that is contributing to the decline in Facebook usage is the fact that the social networking platform has always been in the news lately, including its founder Mark Zukerberg, facing various charges of privacy violations and accusations of censorship. This caused many Facebook users to delete their accounts in retaliation and as their favorite commentators are booted off the platform, people are increasingly not finding a reason to stay.
