Is Facebook here to stay or is it simply a passing fad in the MySpace, Napster mould that has captured the interest of a generation for a period of time, only to disappear into the anals of history just as abrupty and suddenly as it began?
I’m a big FB user myself and I find it to be an extremely useful tool – albeit a wasteful one – and just about everyone I’m friends with, or even pseudo-friends with, has an account. But will this be the case in 5 or 10 years time? Have social networking sites changed the internet forever or can we expect to see a significant drop-off in the not too distant future?
Well, according to an SBS World News article, a survey compiled by youth marketing agency Lifelounge reveals that “although Facebook and Twitter continue to be on the rise, it appears to be losing it’s popularity among younger users as 16-30 year old Australians pine for more face-to-face contact”. According to Lifelounge chief executive, Dion Appel:
“Nostalgia and simplicity … (are) influencing the styles they’re adopting, the products they’re purchasing and their entertainment choices.
“Parents’ vinyl records are suddenly interesting and vintage clothes are de rigueur.
“And they want more connections with their friends that aren’t digital, that are tangible. They’re starting to question the authenticity of social networks such as Facebook and Twitter”.
“They want technology to assist rather than dominate the way they communicate.”
And Facebook’s own stats tell a similar story. “More than two-thirds of Facebook users are outside of college” and “the fastest growing demographic is those 35 years old and older”.
So, perhaps we, as marketers, should contain our excitement over the possibilities of Facebook and Twitter. After all, things can change remarkably quickly.
That’s why you need to know when to blink.
