Is Facebook past its prime?

Is Facebook on its last legs? Is it going to pull a MySpace on us? Will Facebook be the Internet’s hip site du jour one day, then suddenly lose the love and affection of most of its followers the next?

Already, in the first quarter of this year, the “bounce rate”—the percentage of visits to Facebook.com that consist of a single page view and then a quick exit—has grown by 19 percent, according to Internet traffic research firm Alexa. Though that statistic hardly qualifies as conclusive proof of Facebook’s imminent demise, it does raise the possibility that a large number of Facebookers are surfing over to the site, finding little there of interest, and promptly leaving.

Here are some reasons Facebook might be losing its grip on people's online networking lives.

1. Facebook veterans are defecting to Twitter.
2. People who actually have lives don't use Facebook.
3. In the real world, people often have good reasons for losing touch with old friends.
4. Having too many friends takes the edge off Facebook postings.
5. After that ‘25 things’ note, there's not much left to say.

Illustrating this depressing fact is the recent, hideous Facebook trend of using quiz results as status updates. “Which kind of partier are you?” Result: “The hot girl throwing up in the bathroom!” ... “Which kind of animal noise are you?” Result: “Ribbit, Ribbit!” Facebookers are clearly wiped out of material. There is nothing more to say.

Facebook’s long-term survival is up to the people who use it. The first order of business might be to just say “no” to publishing the quizzes. Quiz results are no match for original content, even if it consists of your latest report on making the bed or washing your hair. Another key issue is to choose your friends carefully. Is the prospective friend (your boss, your grandmother, your ex) going to force boringness on your future updates? Is this newcomer’s presence going to require you to censor your wall? If so, click “ignore” in response to the person's friend request. More is not necessarily merrier when it comes to Facebook. It’s the old quality over quantity thing: The quality of the content people share at Facebook may contribute to the longevity of the site far more than the sheer number of people who connect with each other.

Comments

[jbman73175]

I think Facebook is kind of like a blogging community. The quizzes and lists? Stupid in my opinion, but I can ignore that and have enjoyed catching up with people and seeing how their families are growing, etc.

Am I lonely and bored for writing this comment?

[mrbach]

Facebook was interesting for awhile, but I hardly use it anymore. I have replaced it with LinkedIn, which serves a similar purpose, but has better networking abilities for grownups.

Facebook still has that "time wasting" appeal which is great if you are younger or a student, but I find social networking with people my age (I am 44) becomes more constructive when it has a business angle. Less guilt associated with it, and you can have the page open at work!

[ghalo]

You are right facebook is almost dead.. it was a hype and now people started to get bored from it as nothing interesting in fact... so all the facebook buzz will go time sooon... honestly i deactivated my facebook 8 months ago...

[Marisa]

Facebook friends are like fairweather friends except they don't even hang around when the weather's good!

[j1h15233]

Facebook was great when it was only college students and alumni of those colleges. Now that it's open to everyone and anyone it is filled with garbage and is hardly useful anymore.

[Haggie]

Facebook is about as cool and hip as a Members Only jacket. It's yesterday’s news. It's the new Friendster. Sure, everyone has an account, but I'm sure that their internal metrics are dropping like a stone…

[Bowery Boogie]

i hated that “25 things” list also. it was so damn bothersome. i remember getting that junk chainmail back when everyone had aol accounts.

[Max Fiction]

Long on Face, Short on Book - My Experience on Facebook and Why I Quit:

http://maximumfiction.wordpress.com/2009/08/04/long-on-face-short-on-book/

[chubsoda]

I joined Facebook through a cousin's suggestion in 2007. For over 16 months it was me, her, her sister, and another that asked me to be her friend, of whom I had no idea who she was, but that was it. No one asked me to be a friend and I never went searching for more friends either. Suddenly during the month of April of this year, my friend's list exploded. Now it's not uncommon to see people with 100+ friends. I have friends that I didn't know existed and some that I really don't care to "communicate" with in the first place. What online web sites such as FB and MySpace have done is inflated everyone's ego in such a way in that each person think's they are a rock star and through this thinking, feel they deserve some accolades (expression of praise) for their mere "exisitence" through their stupid antics and pictures, of which most people look like f'ing retards. The same goes for YouTube. As for meeting and dating someone these days from an online web site? That's a joke in itself. If the initial meeting occurs on FB, MS, or another website, it's all based on one's own ego and picture; there is no critical thinking that goes into saying hi to anyone, or dating them, or why someone is interested. Most self-written profiles put an individual into a self-righteous position that no one else could possibly meet, so any possible friendship or relationship fails before it is even started. There are of course some sincere friendships that occur and of course it is great to meet up with someone that you, me, haven't seen in 20 years. But I think this is the exception, not the norm. I've learned that the first rule of law school is this: Everyone lies especially your client. And this goes for anyone in FB or MS. I don't trust but maybe 1% of what anyone tells me in FB, MS, or any web social interaction from folks that I do not have a personal interest based on history, such as a frienship from years ago. I think David Nunyabiz has it right in accepting only certain friends and keeping it simple. I've basically quit online "anything" and have begun going out and meeting "real" people again, specifically women. I have forgotten how much fun it is and the women I meet are so much more enjoyable than to write them in a stupid email in which you never know get to meet them anyway.

[blissinbleeding]

I spend ridiculous amount of time trying to come up with (not so) pithy (inane..to be honest) status updates to outfox my "friends"..friends that I've added hoping they would have cute friends or friend's friend's friend's friend's cute friends that would come on "people who may know"! I know..vain me! I've gotten into this frivolous juvenile mindset checking my facebook every nanosecond for new updates ..my anal bled today due to big chunks of crap kinda notes..an ugly baby pic ( which we all politely would comment..aww..choooo chweett..cuute baby!) ..expert comments on economic crisis from smart ass guys that cant add 2 n 2!!! I joined facebook actually to connect to my friends instead I have become a total twat competing with (some) faceless ..narcissistic..conceited..dimwits trying facebook shitks.Infact I have become one of them and that's really disturbing me. It's worse coz I have no clue what I am competing for??? facebook's biggest loser I suppose!
OK now..if you ask me if I had quit facebook? well..hmm..I have this really gorgeous gal on my friends list. I hope she quits facebook..ehehehhe

[Nick Stamoulis]

5 years ago all we had was MySpace and it was just getting started. Now many of us really don’t what we would do if we didn’t have Twitter and Facebook. What will be around 5 years from now?

[Jeff Austin]

Facebook takes more liberty with your information than any social network in existence. Read the agreement that you signed when you joined. They harvest and mine information like none other and they do it with your help. Search youtube for Facebook and you will understand this article better and cancel your account immediately.