That depends; there's a huge difference between "I quit [popular app] but my friends all still use it" and "I quit [popular app] and my friends all did too".
These are not remotely the same outcome. And especially for very social teenagers, the compulsion to reinstall an app may come from the feeling of missing out on the trends that your friends are plugged into. You don't want to use the app, but you don't want to isolate yourself either.
Sure we can ditch our friends and find a self-selected community of app-ditching new friends, but this group will be small, not all go to the same school, and not share various other common interests beyond "quitting popular app". If you connected with your old friends over fashion and volleyball, you might not be able to get the same connections in this group.
"The network effect" is such a powerful moat for social networks for this reason!
It's kind of like saying "why elect a government that feeds the poor, when you can just feed them yourself". Collective action is a different bargain.
You need fewer friends. Join a Luddite group or be a loner, it's a better life. As you age, more people will become like you and you'll gain more friends.
These are not remotely the same outcome. And especially for very social teenagers, the compulsion to reinstall an app may come from the feeling of missing out on the trends that your friends are plugged into. You don't want to use the app, but you don't want to isolate yourself either.
Sure we can ditch our friends and find a self-selected community of app-ditching new friends, but this group will be small, not all go to the same school, and not share various other common interests beyond "quitting popular app". If you connected with your old friends over fashion and volleyball, you might not be able to get the same connections in this group.
"The network effect" is such a powerful moat for social networks for this reason!
It's kind of like saying "why elect a government that feeds the poor, when you can just feed them yourself". Collective action is a different bargain.