What Could Facebook’s 26% Dip in Usage Mean for Franchising?

In 2017, users in the U.S. spent on average 14 hours per month on Facebook, according to Activate Consulting’s Technology & Media Outlook 2020 as reported by Fast Company. In just two years, that number has fallen 26%, to only nine hours. This data was revealed by Activate CEO Michael Wolf at the Wall Street Journal’s Tech Live conference. 

Facebook’s dip in usage could be due to several factors. For one, younger users have gravitated toward websites like Instagram, Snapchat and the breakout platform TikTok—the fastest-growing social media app in recent years. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerburg has also come under fire for privacy breaches, selling consumer data and most recently making the decision to not fact-check political ads that are run on the site.  

Facebook is still the largest player among social media networks, with a whopping 2 billion users, but this sharp decline in actual usage could mean a lot to advertisers and franchise development teams across industries. Several years ago, Facebook was considered a premier recruitment tool for franchisors. Even today, the platform still reigns supreme as the leader in social media advertising, but those in the franchise industry may want to consider other, more niche social media avenues as potential avenues for marketing going forward. 

Read the full story in Fast Company here.