Facebook is losing active users in Nigeria to other platforms such as mobile chat apps and blogs even though user numbers have steadily increased over the past few years, a report shows.
africapractice, in a report titled “The Social Media Landscape in Nigeria”, said in Africa there are more users on mobile chat platforms than social networks such as Facebook. In Nigeria, it said the mobile chat apps with the most users are Eskimi, 2go and WhatsApp.
“As Facebook numbers have been on a slow decline, many attribute the upsurge of mobile chat apps to social networking platforms to factors such as: mobile chat apps perform well on lower bandwidths and use less data, and mobile chat is a cheaper alternative to SMS,” the report stated.
In Nigeria and other African countries, the report said social media continues to expand and change, with new applications appearing every day. “Its indefinable nature speaks to its ability to transform how we engage, sell, buy, create and live in the digital age,” it said.
It said social media practices have materialised in unprecedented capacities.
“They’ve led to revolutions, encouraged, demanded and monitored best practices during elections and are also contributing to a larger dynamic of promoting growth on the continent through accountability and conversation. In fact, the most visited websites across the continent are social media platforms,” it said.
The report also revealed an increase in the number of internet users in Nigeria that were visiting social networking sites. It said in 2009, 70 per cent of internet users in Nigeria were visiting social networking sites, with 65 per cent visiting email and 54 per cent entertainment, but by 2013, 72 per cent were visiting social networking sites, compared to 55 per cent email, and 46 per cent entertainment.
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