For some users, Facebooks Whats on your mind question does little to provoke. Instead, it feels like an obligatory, emotionless utterance from a stale marriage. I know you dont really care, Facebook.
And Im starting to doubt whether or not anyone else does either.
If you think that this (admittedly dramatic) ennui is uncommon among Facebook users, think again. A recent poll from Reuters/Ipsos found that 34% of Facebooker said they were spending less time on the site than they were just six months ago. Not only that, but almost 50% of users said that they just spend the same amount of time as they are used to spending. That leaves a pretty small margin of people who are so enthralled with the world of Facebook that they report spending more time on the site than they did six months ago.
When asked why they are spending less time on the site, the 34% had a pretty simple response: Its boring.
Boring; one of the worst things that can be said about anything that lives and dies by engagement. Lying, cheating, betrayal of trust all of these things are terrible, but can be overlooked if theres still some spice left. Its when you find that something has nothing left to offer thats the kiss of death.
Relationship parallels aside, Facebook has to be in a constant battle to stay fresh, interesting, and relevant. Sure, with 900+ million users, it would be easy to rest on the everyone has it, so everyone has to have it argument. But that only goes so far. Social media users have to be continually smacked in the mouth with something vital to their daily lives, their very existence something that they cant readily find anywhere else.
Facebook is most definitely ubiquitous, but it is old. Although it is (and always will be) a huge part of Facebook, the status update can only generate a finite amount of interest. Sure, some of your friends are witty and post hilarious commentary on everything from politics to movies to the battle of the sexes. And yes, others dazzle you with their interesting lives spent jumping from hostel to hostel in amazing European cities.
But lets face it most of your friends are boring when it comes to the written word. There is a very (very, very) short window for giving a shit when it comes to breakfast choices and canine anecdotes.
Facebook isnt oblivious they know this. And in the last year or so, Facebook has made some major changes to their product that has altered the user experience. Note that I said changes instead of upgrades, as not everyone has been happy with all the new features to hit the News Feed.
The Timelines, They Are A-Changin
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Are You Bored With Facebook?
