Today, I woke up and did my usual morning routine. Roll out of bed, feed cat, roll back into bed, grab smart phone, and check Facebook. Except for today when I logged onto Facebook I had sudden realization – Facebook is not for me. I’m tired of getting ads because somehow Facebook’s back end has determined what I like or the constant changing of UI without any user testing or choice. And as it turns out I am not the only one feeling the Facebook fatigue.
According to a “recent Pew Research Center project found that 42 per cent of young adults between 18 and 29 reported spending less time on Facebook in a typical day last year than in 2011. Their age group was also the most likely to anticipate decreased use this year” (Mills par 7). Facebook is a company built on this demographic – what happens now when it’s core set of users is depleting? Is Facebook the next MySpace? (I know MySpace made a “come back” but ask yourself – do you use it?)
Many of those surveyed many said they were too busy, weren’t interested or waste of time/bad content (Van Grove par 3). The key to a good site is rich content and Facebook’s changes have caused that content quality to go down. Even busy people will check a website filled with rich content. Granted we can’t change someone who posts all about what they have been eating but Facebook can change the kinds of ads we see and how our content is received. Quality is what Facebook seems to be forgetting. If the content of Facebook doesn’t improve how can things like Facebook Home truly be successful?
The Pew study also said that many users do end up going back to Facebook after a time. As one student put it, “They’re on Facebook, you sort of have to be. But there’s a subtle guilt associated with it, or a realization that it’s not a choice. Something that’s not a choice isn’t necessarily as cool as it used to be” (Mills par 10). Let’s hope I don’t start feeling guilty to soon.
References:
Mills, Carys. “‘Facebook fatigue’ and the aging social network | Toronto Star.” thestar.com | Toronto Star | Canada’s largest daily. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2013.
Van Grove, Jennifer. “Study: Facebook fatigue — it’s real | Internet & Media – CNET News.” Technology News – CNET News. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2013.
Arianna Valentini 
The “not a choice” element is really interesting and is something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. I am sick of Facebook, I hate that it records every move I make, and tries to sell me “relavent” products, but in essence I just feel that I can’t get rid of it. Facebook is a necessity on so many levels, ‘groups’ ‘events’ ‘polls’ for various functions and everyone just assumes you have it. I can’t wait until more people in my age demographic drop this social media site altogether so I can finally step away from it and gain some semblance of privacy back into my life. (as if)