More Teens and Young Adults Use Tumblr than Facebook
/Is Facebook becoming passé? Among 13-to-18-year-olds and 19-to-25-year-olds, Tumblr is the social media winner, according to one recent study. Although Facebook is still popular among these age groups, 55 % of teens and 52% of the young adults are on the site, compared to 61% and 57% on Tumblr.
One digital marketing consultant explains the difference this way:
"Facebook is where teens and young adults connect with family and some friends. Tumblr is where they connect with like-minded people about the topics they care about."
With its single-subject, short blog entries and animated GIFs, Tumblr appeals to the younger crowd. Facebook certainly is showing its age, with the average user now 40.5-not exactly the Harvard social seeker of its roots.
Survey researcher Gary Tan, 31, is concerned that he's already a "geezer":
"To be honest, it's a sobering notion that there's some piece of technology out there that you and your peer group doesn't use and doesn't understand. As far as I can tell, it might be a first for me and my geezer friends."
This survey is consistent with other reports that teens may not be as excited about Facebook as their older peers. A Los Angeles Times article in May 2012 reported that young people's "goal is to hook up with smaller circles of friends and share their thoughts and feelings away from the prying eyes of Mom and Dad." When parents are online, it's just not as much fun anymore.
Discussion Starters:
- Does this latest survey match with your experience of social media sites? If you have younger brothers and sisters, do you find them interested in sites other than Facebook?
- What reaction do you have to the survey? Do you feel old and stodgy on Facebook?
