One of Facebook’s biggest challenges has been to stay relevant to its users and to remain at the center-point of their networking activities. Back in 2012, its users were typically active on about 2.5 networks (including Facebook itself). But this number has been increasing on an annual basis, with Facebookers now actively engaging with 4.6 networks. Roughly speaking, that means that – compared to 2012 – Facebook now has to compete with an additional two networks for the attention of its users.
Facebook is still king overall among its rivals, but the increasingly diverse social networking landscape – with names like Pinterest and Snapchat offering more of a focused user experience – helps to explain why Zuckerberg’s network has been pushing a stream of new features and innovations on the main site, as well as the development of Messenger and the acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp.
You can download a free summary version of GWI Social here and clients can find out more about the latest social media trends by reading the full GWI Social report here.