According to multiple sources, usage statistics for Facebook have been rapidly declining among teenagers. In fact, according to information from Time, this valuable demographic may be starting to lose its fascination with the massive social network that is Facebook. What’s coming in to fill in that void? Unfortunately for advertisers, the most popular venue for the teenage demographic – that being a demographic with a great deal of disposable income – is also a venue that isn’t particularly amicable to advertising.
Tumblr
So, where are teenagers heading these days? According to multiple statistics – with some variability – approximately 60% of teenagers are now using mobile apps designed to work with Tumblr. Tumblr, while there are various ways to use it to get conversions and sales, is not nearly as developed as an advertising platform as is Facebook. As their parents and grandparents start ratcheting up the friend requests, however, teenagers are looking for a place where they can interact with their friends and not have to worry about everything they say ending up on the newsfeeds of authority figures in their lives.
Making it Easy
Currently, Tumblr has a mobile app for both iOS and Android devices. Utilizing this mobile device, users can share pictures, blog entries and just about anything else they feel like sharing with friends as easily as they can on Facebook. Add to this the fact that Tumblr hasn’t added advertisements to people’s newsfeeds in the same invasive way that Facebook has, and the fact that parents haven’t seemed to have caught on to the Tumblr blog format quite as much as they have to Facebook, and you have the perfect place for teenagers to hang out, interact and spend their time.
Making it Personal
Facebook, once again, has gotten itself a lot of negative feedback from users over the recent changes to the arrangement of the timeline. At the same time that Facebook maintains a rather generic profile layout and very controlled features, Tumblr has a collection of free and premium themes that users can employ to create a very personal web experience.
A large deal of Facebook’s appeal is likely due to the fact that the platform is enormously easy to use. As users – particularly young users – become more technically adept, are able to utilize themes to personalize their blogs and seek ways to get out of the social network where parents and teachers seem to be constantly looking over their shoulders, those who advertise on social media may want to consider branching out to different platforms to reach this incredibly valuable demographic.
