We’ve heard about how Facebook is losing its street cred and its teenage audience as more and more baby boomers (their parents) join the platform. Where are all the teenagers going to, then? The answer is WeChat.
Chinese messaging app WeChat is the fastest growing social app used by youths worldwide, according to a study by Global Web Index . The latest study was conducted based on the feedback from teenagers aged 16 to 19 globally, excluding China. WeChat saw a 1,021 percent increase in usage among youths between Q1 and Q3 2013. The second-fastest growing is Vine at a rate of 639 percent, followed by Flickr (254 percent).
WeChat doubled the number of registered users from May to August. It now has over 100 million registered users in international markets outside of China.
Poshu Yeung is the vice president of the international business group at Tencent, the company behind WeChat. He commented:
The global trend shows that more and more users are turning to the mobile social platform to consume content, communicate, and keep in touch with people they care about. We believe this is an opportunity for WeChat to further strengthen its presence in the global marketplace.
Although the survey excludes teenagers in China, it doesn’t change the fact that Facebook is losing its cool factor. The world’s most famous platform is blocked in mainland China. If China were included, we might see even more Asian apps making the list.
Source: TECHINASIA
