The Fall of Facebook?
By Will Lane onIt seems that these days almost everybody has a facebook account, but will it always be that way? Facebook seems to have a mysterious way of keeping users engaged: People feel compelled to continue to use it primarily because others are. For example you wouldn't want to leave facebook for fear that you'd miss your friends birthday or miss out on the latest photos. This works in a circle where everyone continues to use facebook because others are. The only way out is to quit completely and this is what it seems like people are starting to do. Facebook is not only hugely time consuming but also somewhat pointless. As people realize this they are starting to quit.Facebook has also lost it's unique factor. It no longer seems 'special' as there are many other services offering the same thing and people seem to be brought closer everyday by the rise of mobile technology. People no longer need to communicate as much through facebook because they are already connected via twitter, email, phones and many other new technologies. I expect that future technologies will speed up the inertia of facebook. In all this change in the tech world, facebook doesn't seem to have adapted much. Apart from a few facelifts, the main features of facebook remain the same: wall posts, chat, apps etc. What else can they offer? the gimmick of apps also seems to be deteriorating.I may be dreadfully wrong, but these are the reasons why within the next 5 years, facebook will plunge back into the back alleys of the internet. It's the nature of the technology business, startup companies are quickly enveloped by the surrounding competition due to the pace at which the market changes. One example: Myspace, who uses that anymore? it was hugely popular for a few years but has now faded away. On the other hand some companies like Netflix are hugely adaptable and have managed to offer new services to match the changing market, however for facebook to continue, it needs to offer more mobile services for example by introducing a facebook phone or video chat.It should be interesting to see if my theory is correct, especially since I am among a minority who forsee a fall of facebook. In the end, only time will tell. It could be that facebook is so embedded in our lives that it is permanent however if in the technology world, nothing is permanent.
