Facebook Still Dominates Social Media but Stagnates; Other Platforms Grow Faster

Facebook remains the most popular social media site by far, but its growth has slowed and other platforms are growing much faster (from much smaller bases).

Those are some of the trends and statistics revealed in a new Social Media Update study from the Pew Research Center.

Facebook saw little change in its user base between 2013 and 2014. Overall, 71 percent of Internet users are on Facebook, a figure that remained unchanged since August 2013, according to Pew.

Older adults were the exception. For the first time, more than half of all online adults 65 and older (56 percent) use Facebook. This represents 31 percent of all seniors.

Every other social media platform measured enjoyed substantial growth between 2013 and 2014. Instagram – owned by Facebook — not only increased its overall user figure by nine percentage points, but also saw significant growth in almost every demographic group.

Facebook engagement grows

The good news for Facebook is that its user engagement continues to increase, while daily use of other platforms shows little change. Most Facebook’s users (70 percent) interact on the platform daily, a significant increase from the 63 percent who did so in 2013.

More social media fans are using multiple platforms: 52 percent of online adults now use two or more social media sites, a significant increase from 2013, when 42 percent did. Likewise, fewer adults use just one site: 28 percent compared with 36 percent last year. Pew called Facebook the “home base” for many. It’s the most popular site for those who only use one network.

The research highlights a trend of platforms specializing in particular demographic groups.

For the first time, roughly half of Internet-using young adults ages 18-29 (53 percent) use Instagram. And half of all Instagram users (49 percent) use the site daily.

For the first time, the share of Internet users with college educations using LinkedIn reached 50 percent.

Women dominate Pinterest: 42 percent of online women now use the platform, compared with 13 percent of men.

The study underscores trends that may have important implications for marketers.  Young people may turn away from Facebook as the network their mothers use and increasingly turn to Instagram.

The Facebook saturation point

Facebook’s stagnant growth may be irrelevant. The platform is mature and has reached saturation point, argues marketing consultant Tony Bradley for Forbes.  Already about 70 percent of online adults are on Facebook.

Other social media platforms are younger, so naturally have more room to grow. Their growth doesn’t mean they are better. They are merely benefiting from the trend of people posting on multiple networks.

Plus, Facebook owns Instagram so it benefits from the younger network’s growth, even though its metrics are counted separately, he adds.

Bottom Line: As a marketing vehicle, Facebook remains the go-to social media platform, even though its growth has stagnated and other social media platforms are growing.