So, not to discredit this number, but here are some things to consider -
1 - Bots. Lots of bots.
2 - Multiple accounts. I've seen people with as many as 4 accounts, used for different purposes(friend groups).
3 - 'Facebook is the internet'. Facebook is free(ie not charged as data usage), and therefore, 'the internet', in many poor nations. I'm not actually sure if this is Facebook's doing, a carrier agreement, etc, but it exists. This accounts for what I assume are the bulk of the 'real' users.
Yeah, bots were my first thought. Run any decent sized fb group and you'll realise just how many there are, then realise you're probably only seeing a small cross section. I would say thousands new every day. I saw a friend having some fun a while back posting public statuses to bait spambots with keywords like "tupac movie" and "watch online" - they get flooded within minutes.
Also, I have at least 3-4 accounts and know plenty of people who have as many, too. Can't imagine how they'd differentiate that from say, my housemate or partner logging in from the same IP address.
Doesn't surprise me. I don't want to make too harsh of accusations, but in my head, it feels just short of fraud. Not growing fast enough? Shrinking? Give a third world nation free internet to become users and pad the numbers. Tell advertisers and investors you're growing, but not precisely how and where.
Again, that's just my first instinct, not an accusation.
1 - Bots. Lots of bots.
2 - Multiple accounts. I've seen people with as many as 4 accounts, used for different purposes(friend groups).
3 - 'Facebook is the internet'. Facebook is free(ie not charged as data usage), and therefore, 'the internet', in many poor nations. I'm not actually sure if this is Facebook's doing, a carrier agreement, etc, but it exists. This accounts for what I assume are the bulk of the 'real' users.