Skip to main content

Social Media

Is Facebook Dying?

A Look Into the World's Leading Social Media Site





The social media giant has made a lot of news within the last year - in a lot of cases, Facebook is the news. From Mark Zuckerberg's appearances in front of Congress to banning users due to their content, Facebook has been headlining the news since its inception into the app store. What should surprise you is Zuckerberg's ideas of heralding the Facebook company into a new direction.

Content That Delete's Itself


Zuckerberg says it best himself:

I just think that this is the future. People want to share in ways that don’t stick around permanently, and I want to be sure that we fully embrace this.

This seems to be in light of both the recent meetings with Congress over the Facebook privacy scandal, as well as the introduction of Stories on the Facebook app.

"Stories" is similar to Snapchat where you post a Story, (either a picture or video), that is only accessible for 24 hours. After the 24 hours, the Story is then "deleted". (As we are all aware, anything you post can remain on the internet forever...)

User's want a way to post that is not permanent. You can delete posts on Facebook that are made by you, however, if they are about you or show your image and they aren't made by you, then you cannot delete them. You can request for Facebook to remove it, but that is a hurdle all on its own.



Overrun by Old People


A study by eMarketer found that droves of young users are leaving Facebook for sites like Snapchat while those aged 55+ are flocking to the site. The 55+ category has now become the 2nd largest group on the site. The UK alone saw over 700,000 young users leave the site, which makes up just under 10% of those between 12-24 that use the site.

The run of the mill idea is that Facebook appeases to the older generation as a means for them to:

  • Speak their minds
  • Keep in touch with relatives
  • Use as personal storage for videos and pictures

Whatsapp and Private Messaging


Last of all is the land of private messaging. Younger people want to ensure that their texts, videos, and pictures that they send to people will not be captured and sent to a variety of people. The Facebook company is looking into ways to better private messaging and ensure that personal data is not breached and to prevent others from using your messages in malicious ways.


My Position

Do I think Facebook is dying? It's a tough bout to get around. I know within certain clicks it works well, such as the military. There are a lot of guys I know way back from boot camp and those I currently work with that I keep better in touch with them through Facebook.

We are the generation where texting is more comfortable than calling. This is now turning into, "its easier to just message someone through Facebook and not have their number at all." It is as if having someone's number makes you indebted to them or that the possession of someone's number is only for close friends and family. It could just be that it's just so much easier to do it through Facebook.

With all of this in mind, I propose something a bit different. I think the current Facebook that we see now will die - it will be replaced by a much more private, Snapchat like service while still retaining the option to permanently post. This will allow for both parties, the young and the old, to retain happiness for the app.

I don't think Facebook is going anywhere, but then again, only time can tell.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

International Media

A Look at a Japanese Film The western culture of films is so mainstream that America is known as the film industry capital of the world. "Hollywood" slips off the tongue of any who say it, with the aroma of class and culture escaping from the lips. The city for big dreamers who are trying to get lucky and catch a break seems American at its core. As an American myself, I find it hard for me to remember the film industry outside of America. Below is one film that was both a commercial success and an amazing work of art. Spirited Away is the largest movie title to be released from Japan - both in sales and viewership. It has grossed $277,296,953 since its release on September 20th, 2002, and it is the largest commercial success ever for any film from Japan. I interviewed Southern Arkansas University student, Rachael Schaefer, about her experience with the film. First off, what do you think about the film Spirited Away  compared to an American 
Post a Comment
Read more

Wild Card

Discontinued Fast Food Items This is a list of items I have compiled that companies have discontinued and the issues that caused companies to pull these items out of their stores, with one item that a company has decided to bring back. Taco Bell's Bell Beefer The Bell Beefer was Taco Bell's way of combatting the popularity of fast food burgers from its competitors. It was very similar to a sloppy joe, due to the use of taco meat instead of a normal burger pattie. It consisted of taco meat, diced onions, shredded onions, mild sauce, and two buns to hold the sandwich together. The item was introduced in the 1970s and survived until the mid-'90s. It was a hit once it was introduced, but it was pulled out rotation due to a lack of sales once it lost favor with customers in the late '80s. McDonald's Pizza McDonald's introduced the Pizza as a means to combat the issues it had trying to find a dinner menu item that their fans would love. They h
Post a Comment
Read more