The statistics of 2015 show us some surprising figures. The age group that visited Facebook the most in the US were people between the ages of 25-54. On the other hand, 50% of Snapchat’s user base was composed of people between the ages of 13-17. So, is Facebook only for old people? Is Snapchat the new in app?
Statistics Show 25-34 Year Olds Make Up for 20.5% of Usage in the US
According to 2015 statistics, there was nearly the same amount of Facebook activity from 18-24 year olds as there were of 35-44 year olds. In fact, more than 10% of all usage in the US came from people in the ages between 45-54. These are no surprise, as it has become especially common for baby boomers to experiment with social media. Since Facebook was one of the first o get the trends started, it could be why it caught on with the older crowds first.
Snapchat is an Entirely Different Story
The figures for Snapchat say something else. According to their statistics, the main group of users (50% of them) are between the ages of 13-17. The next age group where it is most popular is 18-24, with 31% of all usage. Groups over 25 years old make up only 19% of the platform usage. This says quite a lot about the platform.
How Come the Figures Are So Different?
Snapchat is more accessible to younger crowds because of its privacy. Since users can specifically choose where their context goes and since the information is (mostly) transitory, it might be more comfortable for younger crowds. Not to mention it brings messaging to a higher degree by combining fleeting images with messages.
Older Age Groups Will Catch Up… Eventually
Facebook is used by people above 25 to communicate in a more massive scale. They don’t communicate messages to individual users, they look to communicate to everyone. It has become the place for parents to tell the stories regarding certain events, their jobs, families, loved ones and such. This is probably why Facebook will be the most popular platform for those age groups for a long time to come. Facebook is the place to tell stories, express messages and raise awareness. At least until they catch up to other platforms, time by which younger groups will have already jumped ship to a different one.
