Recent statistics reveal the global significance of social media, boasting 4.8 billion users worldwide, representing nearly 60% of the global population and capturing 92.7% of internet users. On average, users are active on 6-7 different social media platforms each month, spending approximately 2 hours and 24 minutes daily on these channels.
Despite its widespread adoption, the social media arena is dynamic, witnessing shifts in app popularity. Notably, in 2023, Instagram, a Meta-owned photo-sharing app that once dominated, is experiencing a downturn. Researchers attribute this decline in user engagement to an influx of advertisements and influencers promoting brands.
A report from US-based tech firm TRG Datacentres highlights Meta’s Threads app, introduced on July 5, 2023, as a response to compete with Elon Musk’s X. While Threads rapidly gained 100 million users within five days, it faced an 80% drop in daily active users by August. Daily usage plummeted from 21 minutes in July to just three minutes by November.
Recognizing the volatility of user preferences, TRG Datacentres focused on popular social media platforms that experienced a decline in 2023. Analyzing search queries for ‘how to delete (my) Instagram account,’ the study covered nine widely used global platforms.
The platforms examined, based on user base, included Facebook (3.03 billion users), YouTube (2.49 billion), WhatsApp (2 billion), Instagram (2 billion), WeChat (1.33 billion), TikTok (1.22 billion), Facebook Messenger (1.04 billion), Telegram (800 million), and Snapchat (750 million). Twitter/X had 666 million users.
Using a per capita approach, the study identified Instagram as a front-runner with over 1 million monthly searches globally for account deletion. This trend, despite the massive 2 billion user base, hints at potential shifts in its landscape.
Snapchat, popular among Gen Z, saw around 130,000 monthly deletion searches. However, it remains a preferred platform for young adults aged 18-24, constituting over a third of its user base.
WeChat, owned by Chinese tech giant Tencent, showed the least monthly deletion searches, indicating a relatively stable user base, possibly due to its diverse functionalities and popularity in specific regions.
TRG Datacentres, while presenting intriguing findings, uses its own methods, and the data set utilized in the report is yet to be independently verified by ETV Bharat.
