Facebook decline? Happy Birthday anyway

Cyndi Crawford

February 4, 2014

Happy 10th Birthday Facebook!

Over the years the social media giant has been a part of my life as much as exercising and eating. More loved than exercising, but less so than eating, of course. Facebook was often the last thing I checked before going to bed and the first thing I looked at when I woke up (tell me I’m not the only one). However, as I’ve grown older, the interest has waned. Sure, I continue to frequently check Facebook, but I find myself spending any amount of free time with other social platforms (cue guilty pleasures here…) like Instagram, SnapChat, and LinkedIn.

There has been quite a bit of skepticism lately surrounding the “decline” of Facebook. Many individuals and businesses are wondering whether or not Facebook is going to be around much longer. As more and more people, specifically teens, spend their time with other social media sites, Facebook is left with a daunting task of remaining relevant.  New York teenager, Ruby Karp, explains, “Teens are followers. That’s just what we are. If all my friends are getting this cool new thing called Snapchat, I want it, too! We want what’s trending, and if Facebook isn’t “trending” teens won’t care.” The 13 year old also says that a big reason she, along with her friends, aren’t on Facebook is because it has been trying too hard. “It takes your interests based on what you’ve “liked” and puts ads on your feed… Teens hate when people try too hard; it pushes them away.”

Even though Facebook may be seen as being too “in your face” by teens, the social network giant is still used by 1.23 billion people around the world and is worth over $135 billion. Is it just me, or is anything in the billions hard to fathom?  Facebook is a powerful network with organization and diversification that, I think, will help them defend against decline.  Part of that defense includes the shift to mobile phones. On Jan. 29, Facebook reported that the sales from ads on mobile phones and tablets exceeded that from traditional PCs.

Facebook is pretty innovative and strong-willed. Oftentimes, companies can fall short and get lost when experiencing major transitions—Facebook hasn’t. They really are so ahead of the game that at this point, they can stop…collaborate…and listen. But seriously, if they wanted to step back and evaluate their plan for moving forward, they would have ample room to think about the next big thing.

As we celebrate a decade since Facebook’s birth, we can see a path that has been paved for many of the other proceeding social networks. We may not be able to predict the fate of Facebook’s future, but I do know that all 1.23 billion worldwide users have something to be grateful for — an unprecedented platform for effective, efficient, and global communication. And THAT is what makes Facebook nothing short of amazing.