Facebook Stories is a feature on Facebook that allows users to post photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. Since its launch in 2017, Facebook Stories has become increasingly popular, especially among younger audiences. But do most people actually like using Facebook Stories? Let’s take a look at the evidence.
The Growth of Facebook Stories
When Facebook first introduced Stories in 2017, it was seen by many as an attempt to compete with Snapchat. At the time, Snapchat was wildly popular among teenagers and young adults for its ephemeral messaging features.
Facebook likely hoped to lure some of Snapchat’s young user base by mimicking the 24-hour disappearing Stories format within its own app. And the strategy appears to have worked.
In the first year after launch, over 150 million people were using Facebook Stories every day. And that number has continued to grow. As of June 2022, Facebook reported that Stories on its platform (including both Facebook and Instagram Stories) have over 1.5 billion daily active users. That’s nearly 20% of the total daily users on Facebook.
The explosive growth of Stories signifies that the format resonated with a sizable portion of Facebook’s audience. Even though some saw it as a blatant clone of Snapchat initially, users clearly took to posting ephemeral photos and videos on Facebook.
Who Uses Facebook Stories?
Facebook Stories is popular across age groups, but particularly so among younger users. Over a third of 18-24 year olds and a quarter of 25-34 year olds have been found to post to Facebook Stories every day. By comparison, only around 15% of users age 35-44 and 10% of users 45-54 post daily.
So Facebook has succeeded in attracting youth audiences to Stories, while also making the feature mainstream for users of all ages. Part of this universal appeal comes from how seamlessly Stories integrates with the existing Facebook interface. The familiar news feed now automatically includes updates from friends’ Stories as well, making it hard to ignore.
Why Do People Like Facebook Stories?
There are several key reasons why Facebook Stories have become so widely used:
- Stories are fun and casual – The ephemerality of Stories lowers the pressure around posting. People feel comfortable sharing everyday moments that they would not necessarily put on their permanent profile.
- Stories are visual – The ability to use photos, videos, gifs, and more creative tools makes Storytelling more engaging.
- FOMO – No one wants to miss out on what their friends are posting. Seeing Story updates directly in the news feed makes it hard to ignore.
- Easy sharing – Uploading Stories has a lower barrier to entry compared to curating a profile post or album. It only takes one tap to share a photo.
- Enhanced connections – Following friends’ day-to-day Stories can make users feel more intimately connected to their lives.
Facebook has also made Stories highly customizable with a range of interactive features like polls, questions and music. This has helped further popularize Stories as a way to interact with friends and followers in real-time.
User Sentiment Towards Facebook Stories
Given the high adoption rates, it’s clear that many people genuinely enjoy using Facebook Stories. But some user sentiment indicates the feature still has room for improvement.
In one survey, over 70% of respondents said they post Stories to Facebook, suggesting it is a fairly normalized activity. However, only 20% said Facebook Stories was their favorite platform for the format. Most preferred Instagram or Snapchat Stories.
Other complaints about Facebook Stories include:
- Missing notifications when friends post new Stories
- Stories auto-playing which uses up data
- Difficulty finding/accessing new Stories
- Stories being less polished than curated profile posts
So while Facebook has succeeded in getting users to adopt Stories, there are still frustrations around aspects of the user experience. Some of the magic of Snapchat Stories appears lost in translation.
Do People Prefer Feed Posts to Stories?
An important question is whether the rise of ephemeral Stories has led to a decline in people posting permanent feed posts on Facebook. The evidence suggests this has not been the case.
One report found that long-form feed engagement on Facebook increased by 35% from 2016 to 2021. Rather than replacing feed sharing, Stories are complementing it. This indicates users perceive distinct utilities for feed posting vs. Stories.
The feed is still primarily where users share life updates they want recorded. Stories enable sharing off-the-cuff moments. Both have appeal for different moods and contexts.
Additionally, feed posts on Facebook still have substantially higher reach than Stories. Though Stories may have helped cut down on over-sharing feeds, users still rely on the feed to connect with wider audiences.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the widespread adoption of Facebook Stories demonstrates that a sizable majority of users clearly enjoy having the ephemeral sharing option. It provides a more casual, intimate way to give updates compared to the feed. And Stories have become deeply integrated into the Facebook experience.
However, Stories are not universally beloved. Some users prefer the Stories formats of Snapchat and Instagram. And there are still issues around notification and content delivery that undermine the user experience. Overall, Facebook has succeeded in making Stories mainstream. But improvements to notifications and navigation could help Stories fulfill their purpose even better.
Going forward, we will likely see Facebook continue optimizing Stories based on user feedback. But Stories seem positioned to remain a core part of the Facebook product offering. Their popularity reflects how social media sharing is evolving to become more immediate, visual and ephemeral. Stories meet a need – even if their execution still falls short in some cases.
Data on Facebook Stories Usage
| Age Group | Percentage Who Post Facebook Stories Daily |
|---|---|
| 18-24 | Over 35% |
| 25-34 | Around 25% |
| 35-44 | Around 15% |
| 45-54 | Around 10% |
Percentage of People Who Enjoy Aspects of Facebook Stories
| Aspect | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Posting Stories | Over 70% |
| Prefer to Snapchat Stories | Around 50% |
| Prefer to Instagram Stories | Around 30% |
| Named Facebook Stories as Favorite | Only 20% |
Facebook Feed Post Engagement
| Year | Facebook Feed Post Engagement |
|---|---|
| 2016 | Baseline |
| 2021 | 35% Increase from 2016 |