In the world of Facebook, there are the content creators and the content consumers. Sharing is creating. Liking is consuming. The former brings in the latter, but both are needed for the system to work.
Facebook is starting to post warning flags according to last Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal article. The WSJ reported that content on Facebook is coming from far fewer people. According to GlobalWebIndex, the percent of Facebook’s users that shared their own photos is down a 37% from last year. That translates to a 37% loss of content generators.
The good news for Facebook is its content consumers continue to scroll through their newsfeeds, with 65% of its users logging on daily. These content consumers generate ad impressions and revenue for Facebook. But one has to question the long-term trend and how Facebook can sustain this level of traffic on the back of substantially less content.
I see this unfolding personally through my teenage kids. Instagram and Snapchat dominate their time, while Facebook has become an afterthought. With content generation fading on Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat are filling the void. Instagram is fun and casual and the younger generation’s social medium of choice to project how they want to be seen and understood.
Facebook recently opened Instagram to its advertising platform creating an opportunity for youth marketers. We at OnCampus Advertising recommend that youth marketer consider including Instagram in their digital media plans.
