Most of us do it subconsciously. Pick up our phones or open up our laptops and sign in to Facebook to see who has liked our profile picture, shared our post or liked our statuses. The use of Facebook has become routine for the 1.44 billion users all over the world.
For so many years, Facebook reigned supreme above all other social media sites. Taking over from the flash-in-the-pan sites such as MySpace and Bebo, the Zuckerberg era came and conquered. But recently, Facebook has had to fight to stay in the spotlight. With social media in a transitional period, Zuckerberg and his team face real competition for the first time.
Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and even Tinder are hot on the tail of Facebook. But no matter what happens in the world of social media, Facebook will always be in the running, and here is why.
Firstly, Facebook has user figures like no other. As previously mentioned, there are over 1.44 billion active Facebook users in the world, and 936 million of those use the site daily. There are about 5 new profiles created every single second, although, recent figures show there are around about 83 million fake profiles, but that is besides the point. One of the reasons Facebook will always be a front runner in the world of social media is that its fanbase is too big to disappear. There are too many users with too many friends for Facebook to fall out of the running and play second fiddle to other social media sites. Yes, Facebook users will be using the other sites as well and they might prefer the other sites, but Facebook has always had an answer to their competition.
The success behind Facebook has had is largely down to the fact that Zuckerberg isn’t stubborn. Their ability to change and adapt to the latest trends is remarkable.
Social media is becoming largely visual based, with Instagram leading the way for photo and video sharing. Twitter recently introduced the ability to upload videos and share Vines, and Facebook always allowed users to upload and share visual content. When Instagram took off, Zuckerberg stepped it up a gear and introduced filters and editing within Facebook to challenge Instagram. With Instagram limiting users to 15 seconds worth of video content, they targeted the demand for short, snappy content. But Facebook still has no limits to the length of their users posts. Twitter still have the 140 character rule, Snapchats only last for 10 seconds, but Facebook have found their niche.
Going back to the video content, many celebrities and YouTube sensations now use Facebook for their vlogs. With no restrictions on the length of videos, users can now tune in to watch their favourite internet stars and their videos. Some even have mini-series which they promote on their timeline.
No matter what social media throws up, Facebook has an answer for it. However, it still keeps the sentimental aspect of their site intact for their most loyal demographic.
The younger generation are influenced so quickly by the latest trends and must-have apps, but Facebook will always have an older generation at the centre of its battle for supremacy. Latest figures show that 63 per cent of 50-64 year olds use Facebook, and 56 per cent of over 65’s use the site. 18-29 year olds are still Facebook’s key demographic with 87 per cent of users having an account, but the over 50’s are the most loyal user base. Older users tend to find sites like Twitter and Instagram confusing, whereas Facebook allows them to simply keep in touch with their family and friends. Facebook’s latest advertisement hammers home the sentimental value of their site, focusing on creating memories with friends.
Even with previous successes to boast about, Facebook is still improving. Impressive updates to the mobile app and the introduction of memories to compete with the new yet popular site of TimeHop, is a message to all 1.4 billion users that Facebook is still improving. Even at the size they are, Facebook is still improving, adding a successful partnership with Instagram and their messenger app becoming as popular as the Facebook app itself.
Users may have complaints with Facebook every now and then, but with its growing demographic and the ability to change to suit modern trends, it looks as if Facebook is here to stay.
