Back to life, back to reality: Social media gets unliked
Android users around the world are spending less time on major social media applications ‒ including Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram ‒ according to a new study. Installation of some messaging apps, however, is on the rise.
The company SimilarWeb compared usage of the four leading social media apps from January through March of 2015 to the same time period in 2016. The study looked at Android users in Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, India, South Africa, Spain, the UK and the US.
Social media usage among those 65 and older has more than tripled since 2010. https://t.co/YliFBTWHWEpic.twitter.com/oe0SdDNcTn
— PewResearch Internet (@pewinternet) June 2, 2016
With the exception of Facebook usage in Spain, use of the apps in all nine nations declined in 2016, the study found.
At about 17 minutes per day in 2016, Android users in the US spent more time on Snapchat than users in other nations. Spain led in Instagram usage, where users spent more than 20 minutes per day.
Just read social media usage is down. Not surprised IG is the hardest hit. It's the only platform where there's pressure to perform.
— Nick Walker (@nw3) June 7, 2016
In the US, Instagram usage was down 36.2 percent overall, Twitter fell by 27.9 percent, Snapchat dropped by 19.2 percent, and Facebook slumped by just 6.7 percent.
Overall, Instagram usage fell 23.7 percent, the largest drop, while Twitter was down by 23.4 percent. Snapchat and Facebook usage dropped 15.7 percent and 8 percent, respectively, the study reported.
Facebook remained the app on which all nine nations spent the most time, with users in Brazil and the US leading the pack at an average of about 45 minutes per day in 2016. Facebook was least used in India.
Twitter was the least-used app of the four. Brazilians led in Twitter usage in 2016, with about 13 minutes spent per day.
Among all nations, the number of apps installed on devices, or current installs, for all four social media apps fell by 9 percent from 2015 to 2016. Snapchat installs in South Africa dropped the most, at 56 percent from year to year. Snapchat installs in Brazil increased the most, with a 22 percent jump in 2016. Instagram and Snapchat saw installs rise in three nations each.
Messaging apps like Facebook's Messenger or Whatsapp saw an overall increase in Android installs among all nations.
