Ever since Instagram came into the picture, Facebook has always been sidelined by the younger generation. They see it as an app used by old people and an app that is full of conspiracy theories then TikTok also made its debut and stole away the hearts of youngsters, but, according to new data posted by Data.ai, in the US the most used social media app by Gen Z is Facebook based on monthly user data.
That should be surprising right? It isn't.
Why? Because in the second list of the chart, apps like Reddit, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat are more likely to be used by Gen Z, as compared to the overall population of the United States but, according to data Gen Z is regularly logging into apps like Facebook and Messenger.
According to Data.ai themselves, users from ages 18-29 have self-reported that they have turned away from using social media but all other apps that track usage have had their usage time increased.
However, it should be noted that data.ai's revelations are purely based on actual usage, which shows that around the world the younger generation instead of becoming less active has become more active on social media. This clears that younger users are not inching away from social media at all. There is also one more point of note here and that is data.ai's collection is completely from Android phones and no iOS phones were reviewed. This makes their data a bit segregated but it is enough to provide a general insight into the usage patterns of the younger generation.
The chart above which shows Monthly Active Users, does not in any way account for the time spent on one app. so if someone just logs into the app for a couple of minutes only to check on family and friend updates will be included in the official charts. This is a major key point that many often overlook and is the reason why MUA charts are now not widely used as a measure of engagement.
While Gen Z does often engage more frequently in their favorite social media apps than others it is not always the best for the actual time spent on the app. As a matter of fact, in both Germany and the US, Gen Xers spent 25% more time on social media than Gen Z.
Read next: The most hated and annoying mobile apps in the world
That should be surprising right? It isn't.
Why? Because in the second list of the chart, apps like Reddit, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat are more likely to be used by Gen Z, as compared to the overall population of the United States but, according to data Gen Z is regularly logging into apps like Facebook and Messenger.
According to Data.ai themselves, users from ages 18-29 have self-reported that they have turned away from using social media but all other apps that track usage have had their usage time increased.
However, it should be noted that data.ai's revelations are purely based on actual usage, which shows that around the world the younger generation instead of becoming less active has become more active on social media. This clears that younger users are not inching away from social media at all. There is also one more point of note here and that is data.ai's collection is completely from Android phones and no iOS phones were reviewed. This makes their data a bit segregated but it is enough to provide a general insight into the usage patterns of the younger generation.
The chart above which shows Monthly Active Users, does not in any way account for the time spent on one app. so if someone just logs into the app for a couple of minutes only to check on family and friend updates will be included in the official charts. This is a major key point that many often overlook and is the reason why MUA charts are now not widely used as a measure of engagement.
While Gen Z does often engage more frequently in their favorite social media apps than others it is not always the best for the actual time spent on the app. As a matter of fact, in both Germany and the US, Gen Xers spent 25% more time on social media than Gen Z.
Read next: The most hated and annoying mobile apps in the world
