Study Shows Facebook Interest Declining While Competitors Experience Record Growth

Has the beginning of the end of Facebook finally arrived? Probably not, but any hint at a decline isn't a great sign. While Facebook at the moment still dominates social media, both on the desktop and mobile, a recent study reveals that many people in the US and UK are beginning to use the service less and less. This is especially true where teenagers are concerned.

According to the study, 50% of people said that their Facebook usage declined, a number that bursts to 64% when looking at the 16 - 19 demographic. Of those, 54% of teenagers said that their interest simply waned in the service, and there wasn't much reason to check it out more often.

Admittedly, I feel like I've been using Facebook less and less as well, but it's not for the same reason that this study reveals. That's the rise of competing social media platforms, such as Snapchat. That service saw numbers up a staggering 54% since the beginning of the year. Similarly, Tumblr and Pinterest have seen their active users double.

This is all very impressive, but Facebook doesn't have anything to worry about quite yet. It last reported numbers of 1.3 billion active users worldwide, which is about 80% of global Internet users. And, about 500 million people use its Messenger mobile app. Still, it's clear why Facebook has been testing the waters with other projects, such as with its "Rooms" app. The mighty have fallen before, and Facebook would definitely like to avoid such a fate.