Facebook: Contradictory Information on growth and shrinking…

So is Facebook growing or shrinking?  There is contradictory information about this but it appears to be a matter of spin and context.  Read these two examples:

Nielsen: Facebook Declining In U.S. And On Desktop

http://allfacebook.com/nielsen-facebook-declining-in-u-s-and-on-desktop_b116378

“According to market research firm Nielsen, the use of Facebook is declining in the U.S. and on desktop. As Facebook makes a mobile push, it appears more people are accessing the site through theirphones and tablets. However, Nielsen said Facebook has lost 10 million users in the U.S. over the past year.”

Facebook grows to 1.1B MAU in Q1 2013, mobile up 124 percent year-over-year

http://www.insidefacebook.com/2013/05/01/facebook-grows-by-1-1b-mau-in-q1-2013-mobile-up-124-percent-year-over-year/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+InsideFacebook+%28Inside+Facebook%29

“Facebook has shared user growth statistics for the first quarter of the 2013 fiscal year during the company’s earnings call today. The social network reported continuing growth, reaching 1.11 billion monthly active users for the quarter. It also reported 751 million mobile monthly active users, a continued increase from 680 million last quarter and 604 million the quarter before.

The graph below shows Facebook’s global growth for the last nine quarters. Though growth has slowed in countries such as the US and Canada as well as Europe, the company has grown by 54 million monthly active users, a 23.2 percent increase from Q1 2012.

For daily active users, Facebook has grown to 665 million, a 47 million user increase. Last quarter was the first time Mobile DAUs surpassed web DAUs and this continued into this quarter as well. With the introduction of Facebook Home and updated applications, much of the 665 million daily active users are connecting with the social network through mobile devices.

Facebook also reported 751 million mobile active users, an increase of 71 million. It also reported that 189 million are mobile only active users, a 42 million increase quarter-to-quarter. More users than ever are only using their mobile devices to connect to the social network as apparent by the 124 percent increase from Q1 2012.

Monthly active users seems the best measurement versus the loss of low usage users or non users…

The threatened sectors like traditional media newspapers and TV pick report one tact and the e-sectors pick another…

Stephen