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Facebook is losing millions of users, but Instagram is picking up the slack

The user growth on Instagram counteracts the loss on Facebook.
By
March 7, 2019
Social Media Android Apps

If you’ve followed along to the news over the last year or two, you know that Facebook has seen a lot of bad PR. Between privacy problems, advertising woes, and the spread of “fake news,” it’s not surprising to learn that some are leaving the social media platform. But according to a new report from Edison Research (via MarketPlace), the most valuable age range is quitting Facebook by the millions.

As you can see from the below graph, the 12-34 age bracket has reportedly seen a steady decline in users, 35-54 saw a slight drop in percentage, and 55+ has seen some growth.

MarketPlace Facebook Usage

All of these percentage changes point to an estimated drop of 15 million when it comes to Facebook’s users. These numbers mean that roughly six percent of the U.S.’s population closed their accounts over the last two years and never came back.

This isn’t all bad news for Facebook, though. While Edison Research’s surveys didn’t ask people where they were shifting their time, they did track the growth (and sometimes decline) in users on platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, and Twitter.

MarketPlace Social Media Usage

As Instagram has seen impressive growth over the last several years, it has made up for some of Facebook’s loss. The photo-centric social media platform is owned by Facebook so advertisement revenue can pretty freely move back and forth between the two social platforms.

Read next: How to tweak your Instagram privacy settings

What social media platforms do you use most? Have you noticed yourself spending more time in one app more than another? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!