- Tech
-
-
Tech
The gadgets, platforms, and software that make your digital life possible. If it bleeps, clicks or blinks, you’ll find it here.
-
Devices
-
Categories
-
-
- Internet Culture
-
-
Internet Culture
-
Categories
-
Featured
-
-
- Streaming
-
-
Streaming
-
Services
-
Featured
-
-
- IRL
-
-
IRL
-
Categories
-
Featured
-
-
- Social
-
-
Social
-
Categories
-
Featured
-
-
- Live TV
-
-
Live TV
-
Services
-
Guides
-
-
- More
- Search
See all Editor's Picks →
See all Popular →
Represented by Complex Media, Inc. for advertising sales.
Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions Ethics
Latest
- Everyone in GoFundMe scam involving homeless veteran has now pleaded guilty 5 Years Ago
- Boy invites kindergarten class to his adoption–and people are emotional 5 Years Ago
- Reddit links leaked trade deal documents to Russian campaign Today 10:44 AM
- How to stream Alistair Overeem vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik Today 8:30 AM
- Amazon sends customers condoms and soap instead of Nintendo Switch Today 8:28 AM
- How to live stream Jermall Charlo vs. Dennis Hogan Today 8:00 AM
- Apple TV’s ‘Truth Be Told’ is a criminally dull drama Today 6:00 AM
- Thousands of Uber users have reported sexual assaults, company says Friday 5:40 PM
- ‘Astronomy Club’ reformats the sketch show Friday 4:58 PM
- Trump is concerned America’s toilets too weak Friday 3:53 PM
- Twitter users claim Billie Eilish is ‘over’ because she didn’t like Lady Gaga’s meat dress Friday 2:53 PM
- Nikki Haley says the Confederate flag was fine until Dylann Roof ‘hijacked’ it Friday 2:49 PM
- How emotional labor discourse spawned multiple memes Friday 2:22 PM
- Video of YouTuber Onision threatening ex-girlfriend resurfaces Friday 2:03 PM
- Marianne Williamson embraces anti-vax stance on Facebook Friday 1:58 PM
Tumblr user activity is out-pacing Instagram’s
And it’s killing Facebook.

Tumblr has ranked above Instagram to become the fastest growing social network.
This week the Global Web Index released a report showing showing Tumblr’s growth in active users has increased 120 percent, almost twice as much as Instagram’s 64 percent. Facebook, meanwhile, only increased by 2 percent. Pinterest also saw an impressive climb, with active usership increased 111 percent.
(GWI defined an active user as a person who contributed to or used a specific platform within the past month.)
Despite the growth in new and active users, the report showed that Tumblr and Pinterest are visited less frequently than Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
This prolific growth comes as Tumblr makes moves to increase its revenue with a new advertising method that attempts to engage its users rather than deter them. The sponsored post-style ads appear more like a post and can be shared by users.
Meanwhile, Snapchat has become the fastest growing app within the past six months, with a 56 percent growth, followed by Facebook Messenger and Instagram.
Facebook’s network still remains the largest out of the surveyed companies and continues to attract the most users. Its growth, however, has plateaued in comparison to the successes of Tumblr, Snapchat, and other sites. The varied results indicate increasing fragmentation of the world of social media. With so many networks vying for users’ attentions, we’re dividing our time across multiple sites, which could be bad for more established networks like Facebook but good for newer companies trying to garner larger audiences.
The second-place rank that Facebook Messenger earned as the fastest-growing app does show at least one success for the company, whose standalone apps don’t always attract the number of users it needs to be successful. The success of Messenger comes after the company completely did away with the messaging function on its main app.
GWI suggests that users are becoming more passive with Facebook, using the site to scroll through posts rather than comment or post material to engage with others.
Moving forward, Tumblr, Snapchat, Instagram, and other social networks will likely continue to grow if attitudes toward Facebook continue to shift toward inactivity. Usage among teens and young adults will continue to drive the success of those networks, as Facebook works to keep interest going.
H/T TechCrunch | Illustration via Jason Reed

Elizabeth Robinson
Elizabeth Robinson is a tech reporter whose work for the Daily Dot focused on social media trends, smart home technology, and apps. In March 2017, she joined San Antonio Express-News as a digital producer.