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Mobile Messaging Platforms How Facebook’s Hedge Strategy Is Changing The Face Of Messaging

Karol Severin and Mark Mulligan
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The 20,000 Foot View

In just a few short years mobile messaging apps have become home to the largest group of digital audiences on the planet, with            billion cumulative monthly active users.  Following websites and social networks, messaging platforms are emerging as the third phase of how audiences congregate digitally.  Facebook is particularly threatened by this potential disruption.  But rather than stick its head in the sand Facebook embraced the disruption to the extent that it is now the single most important player in the mobile messaging landscape.

Key Findings

  • Messaging platforms            the third phase in the            of digital audiences, following websites            social networks
  • The cumulative            messaging platform audience is            billion 
  • Facebook’s three            apps (Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and            account for            of the global            audience 
  • Asian origin            apps account for            of the            total while US origin apps            for           
  • The majority            messaging platform growth has occurred            2013 with an acceleration since            2014
  • Instagram has            steadily since 2014 capturing the            of consumer photography as a            life narrative
  • Facebook Messenger            strongly from May 2014, adding            its total installed base but            is slowing
  • WhatsApp added            over the same period but            represented just            of its total            there is no sign of            slowdown
  • Korean KakaoTalk            the highest number of average            per day per user            followed            Japanese LINE with            Facebook Messenger            just           

Companies and services mentioned in this report: AOL, Buzz Feed, CNN, Facebook, Facebook, MSN, Messenger, Friendster, GeoCities, Instagram, Kik, KakaoTalk, LINE, MTV, MySpace, QQ, Skype, Snapchat, Tencent, Twitter, Yahoo, Vox, WeChat, WhatsApp