Here’s Why Teens Are Saying Goodbye To Facebook

Coolness is done for Facebook; it is no longer the hip hangout spot on the Internet for teenagers who are leaving the social networking site for cooler options like Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and WhatsApp. It is becoming hard for the teens to look cool when they are hanging out with their parents; some are even embarrassed to be associated with Facebook for the same reason.

A new report has found that Americans aged 13 to 17 who use social media are leaving Facebook faster than ever, with the percentage of those with accounts dropping 6 points from 94% in 2013 to 88% in 2014. From 2012 to 2013, it only dropped 1 point.

“Newer kids don’t seem to like Facebook as much. People around my age use Twitter and Instagram. It only seems like adults are on Facebook. Facebook will eventually die off in a few generations. Facebook is the new MySpace,” Eric, a 16-year-old, attending high school in Ohio, explained his decision not to sign up for the service.

Inc’s Dave Kepper feels, “Snapchat, a peer-to-peer service, represents the growing trend of erasable media—ephemeral photos, videos and comments which are here one minute, gone the next”. CNET’s Jennifer Van Grove adds that apps like Snapchat are the opposite of Facebook: simple, seemingly secret, and fun. “Around schools, kids treat these apps like pot, enjoyed in low-lit corners, and all for the undeniable pleasure and temporary fulfillment of feeling cool,” Jennifer writes.

Instead of trying to clone the competition any further, Facebook has started acquiring its heirs. It acquired mobile photo sharing app Instagram in 2012 for $1 Billion. Next acquisition was mobile messaging service WhatsApp in 2014 for a whopping $22 Billion. Social networks become meaningless pretty soon, so Facebook must be ready with a trendy offering to woo the teen audience before they get bored of Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp and Twitter.