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> "Another point: tagging. I don't have to constantly check Instagram to make sure I wasn't tagged in any awkward or bad photos. That’s because you can't see them on my profile, making the whole experience seem way more private." The fourth tab on every Instagram profile allows you to see just this...
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I'm going to argue that. Many of these services are targeting a more diverse crowd. If they were only targeting this kids demographic, they would be limiting their growth potential out the door. Especially given that the growing base of users of these tools are international users. Also, I'm going to argue just against my experience with urban teens living in more diverse communities which doesn't really align with t…
Agree in principle, disagree in execution. Pretty much any app maker (whatsapp aside) starts with a skewed market: people with smartphones. iOS makers even moreso. These people trend toward being white and middle/upper class. Now you need to narrow to who buys shit on their phones. Again that demographic skews younger. [1] [2] So right away, if you want a successful smartphone app in the U.S. then you need to target,…
A successful smart phone app based on these metrics is the one with the largest user base. You get that user base by providing a simple to use product that quickly addresses a need for the largest number of people, rich, poor, white, black, etc...
Now, if you're talking about targeted applications like certain types of gaming apps. Or apps that provide an extended retail experience? This is when you talk about focused demographics.
This is weird; the author possibly met with the CEO of Snapchat more than once recently: https://twitter.com/thatswattsup/status/546018511902867456 > Can't wait to visit my friends at @Snapchat again tomorrow :D https://twitter.com/thatswattsup/status/545326840940740608 > Loved hanging out with @evanspiegel yesterday, he's one of the nicest and more genuine guys I've met. Thanks for having me @Snapchat! ...influencer…
I was teaching a lesson on cryptography to a bunch of twelve year olds this morning, and with reference to https, I asked how many had used Facebook before school - no hands, how about Instagram - no hands, how about Snapchat - half the class put their hands up. It's definitely the most popular network amongst teens in my (UK) school.
Teenagers in high school usually see their friends every day (more so than college - where you're less likely to have all or many of the same classes as your friends), there probably isn't as much desire to use a social network to keep up with what your friends/acquaintances are doing since you're experiencing it with them. After college you're more likely going weeks or months between seeing even your closest friends or family so Facebook is probably a bit more useful/exciting when your older.
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Ok mods, I'm concerned that I have made some valid criticisms on this article as have others in their comments, yet mine is being down modded into negatives. I'm left feeling this is immature and punitive for a joke I made on a prior news posting where I complained about the down modding. Would someone like to explain just how my criticism is so much more severe as to warrant attack over the other criticisms?
And seriously? WTF!
When you're young, most of the people you know and think about are still right there around you and you see them almost every day. You haven't left too many people behind yet. But that changes quickly over time and an increasing proportion of the people you know and care about, the ones you met at a particular place and time in your life, are no longer close by. Being able to keep in touch with those people's comings and goings and relationships and family lives to the (relative) depth afforded by Facebook probably becomes more attractive and more valuable.
So although Facebook may be losing its original stomping ground to simpler, more targeted alternatives, perhaps both Facebook and its active user base are maturing together.
Everyone uses it and there is peer pressure for you to have it. Everyone talks about deleting their account but never does. I rarely use the website or the app but I use Messenger everyday to talk with foreign friends (mostly in the US)
Used to have an account a few years ago, but it just wasn't my thing. Extremely popular though its ux seems to have dropped a lot
- Snapchat
Not really a thing, most people I know barely know it exists. Used it for a while a year ago but it was a fad for me.
- Tumblr
Not really a thing anymore for me, but it seems to be really popular for people between 12-16
I might be the minority here but I mainly use it for photography. Has replaced Flickr and Tumblr for me
#1. SMS charges were too expensive until a few years ago so it exploded (I think we are the biggest market in europe now, so you might guess where I'm from). Biggest downside is the lack of group control, you can get added to any group without your permission and it is 'poor form' to leave. I have a couple of them on mute and rarely read them.
- Telegram
Seems to be gaining some use since Whatsapp got acquired by Facebook though I personally don't use it. Seems redundant to have two IM apps when everyone is on Whatsapp anyway
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Teenagers do not understand Twitter because Twitter is high school for adults.
Yes, and teenagers still operate under the illusion that "being a real grownup" is a actual thing, and not just the thinnest of veneers.
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A North American Teenager's View on Social Media Even better. Though I'm sure someone from North America could improve on that title. FWIW, I thought it was a very well-written piece which outlined some of the subjective pros and cons of various social media. As someone who doesn't spend any time on any of the social network sites and who barely uses a smart-phone, I found it to be quite informative. Edit: After post…
American is predominantly used to mean a US national or more generally "a person born, raised, or living in the U.S." Canadians, who are "North Americans," are predominantly culturally similar to Americans. Mexicans, who are also "North Americans", are not culturally so similar to Americans. So your deliberate "confusion" about the word American produced an even sillier result: "A North American (excluding Mexicans)…
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Something I noticed growing up, even when I was a teen, was stuff like "what teens think today" seemed bullshity and something certain adults wanted to hear, which often never reflected my experiences. In this case, the HN-friendly Facebook bashing. Now as a middle-aged adult, its obvious its questionable writing. Its either PR of some kind or a half-assed article by someone with a teenage daughter and a deadline. A…
This. I mean, I can understand obsessing about the teen / YA demographic if that's who you're selling to, but the idea that what they do represents some ground-shaking historical shift, and not just a (fairly well-understood) phase in normal human lives is just ridiculous. For me, one of the most interesting things about this piece was the total bafflement with Twitter. Not that they didn't like it, they just didn't…
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I was teaching a lesson on cryptography to a bunch of twelve year olds this morning, and with reference to https, I asked how many had used Facebook before school - no hands, how about Instagram - no hands, how about Snapchat - half the class put their hands up. It's definitely the most popular network amongst teens in my (UK) school.
Have teens ever been an important demographic for Facebook though? It started only for college students - it wasn't until three or four years later they opened it up to everyone. [And more broadly - do we use popularity among teens to measure success for anything that isn't specifically targeted primarily at teens (e.g. a company like Abercrombie & Fitch)?] Teenagers in high school usually see their friends every day…
That's a huge barrier for Facebook to overcome, especially when a 'cooler' competitor can expand its feature set to meet the students' long-distance relationship needs without any of the stigma that they associate with Facebook.