Average time people spend on Facebook declining – study

MANILA, Philippines – People are spending less and less time on Facebook, according to a recent study from Pivotal Research Group cited by Fast Company.

The research firm analyzed data regarding digital content consumption from Nielsen for August of this year. The firm found the average time a person spends on Facebook was down by 6.7%.

Facebook’s share in a person’s digital consumption is also in decline. The research said Facebook and its related platforms – Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp – accounted for 14.3% of all digital consumption in August 2018, compared with 16.9% in August 2017 and 18.5% in August 2016.

While it’s not entirely clear what caused the decline, the timing seems to hint that it may have something to do with the highly controversial Cambridge Analytica data scandal and trust issues with the service.

Fast Company suggests that politics fatigue may have also been a significant factor and believes that some users may be tired of seeing pages that use the platform for their political agendas.

Forbes, meanwhile, thinks that it may just be because people in the US are enjoying their time at the beach in August. In addition, Facebook’s recent purge of fake accounts may have decreased overall activity of its users.

The research strengthens the claims of previous studies that said young people leaving the site and that more users are taking a break from Facebook.

The flip side for Facebook as a company though? Despite the downturn in consumption, Facebook-owned Instagram experienced a 16.5% growth in user numbers and a 43% increase in time spent on its platform. – Rappler.com