Facebook, a social media (SNS) service provided by Meta, has established itself as a playground for the middle-aged in Korea, with distinct usage patterns emerging across different generations. Amid a rapid exodus of users in their teens and twenties, those in their 40s and 50s have remained the main user base of the platform, while Instagram has rapidly grown based on strong support from the 1020 generation.
According to app statistics analysis platform Mobile Index on the 6th, as of last month, the monthly active users (MAU) of Facebook in Korea were about 8.64 million, down approximately 33% from about 12.98 million in December 2021. The most notable change is the departure of the younger generation.
The MAU for those in their teens decreased by 55%, dropping from about 2.27 million in December 2021 to about 1.01 million last month. In particular, since 2023, the rate of decline has accelerated, with more than half of users leaving Facebook within three years. The MAU for those in their twenties also decreased by about 34%, falling from about 3.67 million to 2.44 million during the same period. The MAU for those in their thirties, which was about 2.71 million in December 2021, decreased to about 1.95 million last month, a drop of approximately 28%, indicating a spreading trend of exodus.
In contrast, the 4050 generation has established itself as the main user base supporting Facebook. The MAU for those in their forties decreased by 25%, from about 2.55 million in December 2021 to about 1.91 million last month, while for those in their fifties, it dropped about 24% from approximately 1.45 million to 1.1 million during the same period. Although there has been a decrease, the 4050 generation accounts for about 35% of all Facebook users, establishing its status as the core user base of the platform.
The reason the 4050 generation has not left Facebook is analyzed to be due to features preferred by the middle-aged, such as sharing family news, participating in local community activities, and maintaining alumni networks.
Those in their teens and twenties have moved to Instagram, a social media (SNS) service under Meta, instead of Facebook. As of last month, the total MAU of Instagram in Korea was about 45.17 million, nearly five times that of Facebook. In particular, the MAU for those in their teens increased by about 40%, rising from approximately 32.4 million in December 2021 to about 45.17 million last month. For those in their twenties, the MAU also increased by about 18%, going from about 57.3 million in December 2021 to about 67.6 million last month.
Instagram is analyzed to have met the demands of the 1020 generation through short, trendy content such as "Reels," real-time stories, and algorithm-based recommended content.
A platform industry official noted, "Instagram responded to the short-form content craze of TikTok by introducing Reels, performing well, and gaining popularity among the 1020 generation," and added, "As the content trend cycle is becoming shorter, if it falls behind even a little in new trends, Facebook may experience a repeat of the user decline it faced."