Slashdot Mirror
America's Teens Are Choosing YouTube Over Facebook (bloomberg.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Bloomberg: Three years ago, Facebook was the dominant social media site among U.S. teens, visited by 71 percent of people in that magic, trendsetting demographic. Not anymore. Now only 51 percent of kids ages 13-17 use Facebook, according to Pew Research Center. The world's largest social network has finally been eclipsed in popularity by YouTube, Snapchat and Facebook Inc.-owned Instagram. Alphabet Inc.'s YouTube is the most popular, used by 85 percent of teens, according to Pew.
Instagram is slightly more popular than Snapchat overall, Pew said, with 72 percent of respondents saying they use the photo-sharing app, compared with Snapchat's 69 percent. But Snap Inc. is holding its own, despite Instagram's frequent parroting of its features. About one-third of the survey's respondents said they visit Snapchat and YouTube most often, while 15 percent said Instagram is their most frequent destination. Meanwhile, only 10 percent of teens said Facebook is their most-used online platform. The Pew analysis was based on a survey of 1,058 parents who have a teenager from 13 to 17, as well as interviews with 743 teens themselves. The survey also found that 99% of teens own a smartphone or have access to one, and 45% said they're online "on a near-constant basis."
Instagram is slightly more popular than Snapchat overall, Pew said, with 72 percent of respondents saying they use the photo-sharing app, compared with Snapchat's 69 percent. But Snap Inc. is holding its own, despite Instagram's frequent parroting of its features. About one-third of the survey's respondents said they visit Snapchat and YouTube most often, while 15 percent said Instagram is their most frequent destination. Meanwhile, only 10 percent of teens said Facebook is their most-used online platform. The Pew analysis was based on a survey of 1,058 parents who have a teenager from 13 to 17, as well as interviews with 743 teens themselves. The survey also found that 99% of teens own a smartphone or have access to one, and 45% said they're online "on a near-constant basis."
Its what old people use to sell stuff to you.
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
Back when we were looking fondly toward the future where normal people would be on the Internet, we didn't really think of participants so tremendous that more than a 10th of traffic might go their way. Just as there wasn't only one telephone number that everyone called. But that's what we got. We thought the internet would be a tool for democracy. We we ever f**king wrong.
Over time, it might turn out that the market flattens out or that distributed social networking really does catch on. I hope. Just reading about the internet as the fiefdom of a dozen companies makes me ill.
Bruce Perens.
I don't let my kids use social media. They're not mature enough to understand what's too much sharing, privacy and the consequences of what you post being forever. It's one thing to watch videos on YouTube and another for revealing everything about themselves to the world to forever see.
Back before I became an engineer years ago, I used to read the engineering magazines annual salary surveys. It always looked awesome. Then I looked at who they surveyed- engineering managers, who had incentive to make it sound like engineering pay was much higher than it actually was.
Who in their right mind would survey parents about what their teen-age kids are doing?
If you're going to survey people about something, you have to survey the people you want to know about. Not their parents.
Duh!
Nope. VLOGGING brings narcissism to a whole new level! Because Facebook just wasn't enough.
Life is not for the lazy.
I think the bigger issue is that while Facebook at least pretends to be bi-directional communication (while gathering and selling); YouTube is just watchers, like TV. There is a huge difference between even perceived interaction and just uptake. This large-scale de-socialization of younger people is one of the major factors in the mental health problems of the youth of today.
At the risk of arousing any short-tempered teenager present at Slashdot into a brief, indignant rage followed by a momentary fit of existential angst followed by a sudden burst of inane remarks about the latest fusion garage band to explode onto YouTube this week, the youngsters have always wanted to natter and chatter about nothing that matters. I'll offer the pop-psychology explanation that taking and posting short videos to YouTube has become so quick and painless in an age of powerful cellphones with excellent video resolution that it beats struggling with the "felt" complexity of Facebook.
Mary sees a bee-YOO-tiful horsie galloping around a local farm pasture and snaps a quick video with lots of giggling and wavey "hi theres" to her besties. Off it goes to YouTube, and texts fly with the video URL. Why not?
Dan snaps a nice video of his totally rad dragster with selfie views of him grinning and punching out the "V" for victory sign from the driver's seat. Off it goes to YouTube, and texts fly with the video URL and "see-CRET" information about the next impromptu venue for screeching rubber and distant, wailing sirens. Why not?
It's rich media, and it's easy. Plus, YouTube is more happening than the Facebook with the disapproving grannies and the old farts who want to sell stuff. It's all in good fun! At least, I hope so. If it's an alien plot by the Betelgeusians to somehow subvert the next generation, then I'd prefer to be left alone with my little social illusions and my quaint notions about the general application of Ockham's Razor. And my vodka.
A truly excellent pizza parlor is a delight unto the heavens. Treasure the sauce and the toppings!
Putting "Youtube" in the social media category makes me think the people who wrote this article have never used a computer.
"First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
Ding ding ding ding! We have a winner!
YouTube is being used as a video diary. The fact that it does monetization is often the cherry on top. Facebook? They don't pay you jack squat But make a mindless YouTube video about crap and you can rake in real money.
Do it particularly well and you might not even need a job because YouTube can pay you better than any job you'd ever get.
Face it, teenage angst is one thing. Getting teenage angst to pay you some money? Well damn. And yes, YouTube is filled with tons of that dreck.
You cannot compare youtube to facebook, they're 2 completely different things. Because of that I have no confidence in the people who did the research..