There are reports around the Web that Instagram has lost 25% around of its daily active users connected to Facebook, according to an app-tracking firm AppData. Some reports are attributing it to the change in Instagram’s terms of service, which had caused a frenzy on the Web. Facebook’s stock also is down more than 2% today, which could be a result of those reports — any weakness in an app that Facebook paid $1 billion for at the time wouldn’t be well-received by the market. But it doesn’t seem like the claim that Instagram’s terms of service change led to a massive exodus is true. Instead, it had to do more with the seasonality of app usage, according to AppData. Here’s the statement: “AppData reflects only Facebook-connected users of the Instagram app. Though the terms of service change spurred a lot of negative media attention and complaints from users, the decline in Facebook-connected daily active users began closer to Christmas, not immediately after the proposed policy changes.”
About Shelly Palmer
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with technology, media and marketing. Named LinkedIn’s “Top Voice in Technology,” he covers tech and business for Good Day New York, is a regular commentator on CNN and writes a popular daily business blog. He's a bestselling author, and the creator of the popular, free online course, Generative AI for Execs. Follow @shellypalmer or visit shellypalmer.com.