Technology

Is Facebook Fading? Users Are Disengaging From the Network, Study Finds

A Pew Research Center study shows little potential for growth and declining user engagement for Facebook—at least in the U.S.

It seems there are lots of recovered Facebook addicts among us.

According to a new Pew Research Center study, two-thirds of U.S. adults are Facebook users, which makes it the country’s dominant social network. However, it seems Facebook’s popularity is slowly dwindling among its users, and it’s having a harder time attracting new ones.

Here’s a breakdown of the numbers:

Taking a break: 61 percent of Facebook users said that in the past they’ve decided to take a break from the social network. Most interviewees felt they didn’t have enough time for it. Others said they found the content that was being shared irrelevant, they were tired of the drama related to the site, or they even got bored with it. But that doesn’t mean Facebook users have written off Facebook altogether: 92 percent of users keep their Facebook profile fairly up to date.

Small growth potential: New users in the United States may be hard for Facebook to find: Only 8 percent of adults who are not on the network already say they are interested in becoming Facebook users.

Personal value: Only 12 percent of users said Facebook has become more important to them that it was a year ago, while 28 percent said it’s become less important.

What does this say about social networking? According to the study, the percentage of adults who use social networking sites has grown by 22 percent since 2009. Overall, social networking sites are being used a lot more frequently than in the past four years. “On a typical day, nearly half of all adult internet users access a social networking site,” Pew states.

With Facebook slowly losing relevance among users, does it make sense to grow your social media presence using the network? Let us know your thoughts.

(west.m/Flickr)

Anita Ferrer

By Anita Ferrer

Anita Ferrer is a contributor to Associations Now. MORE

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