Instagram is now describing teens as the company's pipeline and as revealed by an internal memo, the company is now having concerns if they lose that foothold.
Facebook's Instagram Teen Focus
In 2020, Instagram was actually so concerned about losing teen users that the company decided to spend a massive percentage of its marketing budget in order to reach teenagers. The New York Times published this report and it was said to be based on anonymous sources as well as other internal documents.
One particular company memo noted that if Instagram loses its teen foothold in the US, they will then lose their pipeline. Facebook, which had bought Instagram for a whopping $1 billion all the way back in 2012, was able to garner some negative media coverage earlier in October when a certain product engineer by the name of Frances Haugen leaked certain documents to The Wall Street Journal.
Facebook Investment on Instagram Teens
According to PhoneArena, the documents even revealed Facebook's very own researchers' discovery that Instagram actually is "harmful for a sizable percentage" for a number of its young users. This specifically included teenage girls who can get anxious, depressed, and even develop certain body-image issues through using the app.
Starting 2018, Facebook had focused a large sum of its ad spending for Instagram on Teens. Haugen reportedly testified before congress noting that the products that are offered by Facebook cause harm to children, stroke division, and even "weaken our democracy."
Company Defends Internal Research
Aside from Instagram and Facebook, the latter is also the owner of the messaging apps WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. Instagram reportedly has competition in the teen market for another app, Snapchat. A new study is showing that Facebook misinformation generates more clicks compared to factual news.
Facebook notes that the media as well as the public are now taking Facebook's internal research out of context. It states that the report was actually showing that teens benefited from their use of Instagram.
Instagram To Help Struggling Teens
The company noted that its researchers were told by teenagers that they had to use the app "when they are struggling" with certain kinds of hard moments as well as issues that teenagers have always been facing. Back in 2018, a number of the spending earmarked for Instagram's very own annual worldwide marketing budget was directly focused on messages towards teens.
It was noted that the budget for this 2021 is $390 million. A certain Facebook spokesperson noted that it is not true that the company is focusing their entire marketing budget towards teens. WhatsApp is currently upgrading its securitty by offering encrypted backups for data that is stored on Google Drive or iCloud.
The spokesperson noted that they have repeatedly stated that teens are one of the company's most important communities due to them being able to spot and set some early trends. It was also said that it should not come as a surprise that they are now a part of Instagram's marketing strategy.
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This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Urian B.
