在年轻人中“失宠”的Facebook
作为世界上最大的社交网络，Facebook正在面临着互联网新贵Snapchat的威胁。愿意在Facebook上花费时间的美国年轻人越来越少，而Snapchat则成了他们的新宠。面对年轻用户流失的局面，Facebook还能风光下去吗？Snapchat是否会取代它的地位？
测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：
covet['kʌvət] v.妄想，垂涎
metric['metrɪk] n.度量标准，公制
portal ['pɔːtl] n.入口，大门
retain[rɪ'teɪn] vt.保持，保留
Snapchat’s youth appeal puts pressure on Facebook(587 words)
By Hannah Kuchler in San Francisco and Tim Bradshaw in Los Angeles
Facebook is at risk of losing its grip on young American users to Snapchat, new figures show, as analysts predict the world’s largest social network will soon see its first ever decline in usage among any age group.
Research group eMarketer warned on Monday that a new generation of social media users may never join Facebook as it predicts that users aged between 12 and 17 will fall by 3.4 per cent to 14.5m this year, below the 15.8m teenagers who use Snapchat.
Snapchat has also overtaken Facebook in the coveted 13-24 age group based on one specific metric used by advertisers to make ad-buying decisions. Facebook’s “daily ad reach” is 25m-26m, according to figures shown on its ad-buying portal, while Snap’s equivalent exceeds 26m, the Los Angeles-based company has told advertisers, said two people familiar with the data.
Although the gap is narrow, Snapchat’s ability to reach more 13 to 24 year olds on a single day could be an advantage for advertisers such as movie studios and retailers conducting flash sales, agency executives say.
Facebook and Snap, the group behind Snapchat, both declined to comment on the figures.
Snap’s shares have come under sustained pressure in recent months, as investors worry about its growth prospects. However, taken together, these data suggest that Facebook’s repeated copying of Snapchat features such as selfie masks and 24-hour “stories” has not had a significant impact on young users’ loyalty. Snap reported earlier this month that it saw a 33 per cent increase in time spent on its app among under-25s compared with six months ago.
“The good news [for Snap] is that Snapchat is continuing to grow,” said Debra Aho Williamson, analyst at eMarketer. “The bad news is that Facebook is very large and powerful, so Snapchat is still going to exist somewhat in their shadow.”
Even as younger users log in less frequently and spend less time on Facebook, the Silicon Valley company’s ownership of Instagram has helped it to retain teenage users, eMarketer said.
While Snapchat is also expected to have more 18-24-year-old users than Facebook — with Snap’s 24.4m comparing to its larger rival’s 23.5m this year — Instagram is also a significant player here, with 22.1m users in the age bracket, according to eMarketer.
“For teens and increasingly for young adults, Snapchat is a very, very sticky platform, and one that they turn to again and again over the course of a day,” said Ms Aho Williamson. “They also like that Snapchat is a bit hard for older folks to figure out. It’s kind of their little place where they don’t feel like they have to be on display and they can be their true selves because they are talking to their friends.”
Snapchat is under pressure to prove it can compete with Facebook and its 2bn monthly users for advertising dollars. Investors have remained excited about Facebook — pushing the stock up 36 per cent so far this year — as it beat expectations on earnings and revenue.
However, the prospect that it could lose the attention of teenagers, lured by newer apps and deterred by their parents’ presence on the network, has worried shareholders in the past.
The shift of teens’ loyalty from Facebook to Snapchat has been “building every year”, said Ms Aho Williamson. “This year we finally felt comfortable saying, yes, this phenomenon is going on.”
请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：
1.Snapchat is expected to exceed Facebook among which age group in terms of user base？
A. 6-12 age group.
B. 13-24 age group.
C. 18-30 age group.
D. under 25 age group.
答案(1)
2.Which of the following statements about Snapchat is true?
A. Compared to Facebook, Snapchat can reach more 13 to 24 year olds on a single day.
B. Facebook has seen its first ever decline in usage among any age group this year.
C. Facebook’s copying of Snapchat features helps them to build users' loyalty.
D. Snapchat's stock price witnessed a rapid rise as its daily ad reach exceeds 26m.
答案(2)
3.Which app helps Facebook retain teenage users?
A. WhatsApp.
B. MySpace.
C. Instagram.
D. Tumblr.
答案(3)
4.The writer’s purpose in writing this story is ____?
A. to explain why Snapchat is becoming increasingly popular among young Americans.
B. to point out Facebook is losing its grip on young American users to Snapchat.
C. to compare the differences between two leading social network in America.
D. to indicate investors needn't to be too worried about Snap's growth prospects.
答案(4)
* * *
(1) 答案：B.13-24 age group.
解释：Snapchat在13-24岁群体中的用户即将超越Facebook。
(2) 答案：A.Compared to Facebook, Snapchat can reach more 13 to 24 year olds on a single day.
解释：Snapchat每天有更多13至24岁的用户，这对电影工作室和零售商的广告投放有利。
(3) 答案：C.Instagram.
解释：eMarketer表示Facebook旗下的Instagram帮助他们留住了年轻用户。
(4) 答案：B.to point out Facebook is losing its grip on young American users to Snapchat.
解释：本篇文章指出Facebook在美国年轻人中的用户量受到了Snapchat的挑战。
