A new study shows more than 61 percent of Facebook users “take a break” from the site, usually for weeks at a time. The Pew study reveals Facebook users can grow bored with the site, among other reasons for a hiatus or a dropout altogether.
I’m hearing a lot more from peers who say they have grown weary of the constant barrage of weather complaints, political rants, coffee praise, pet pictures, Friday exuberance and posts about “great weekends” with “the best friends ever.” Couple that with Facebook’s revenue-generating tactics, such as restricting the exposure for business page content for those who choose not to advertise, and you have a platform at a crossroads. Yes, it’s the biggest by number of accounts, but it’s obvious to us, as we track interaction with client pages and referral traffic from Facebook to websites, that Facebook is experiencing some negative trends.
But, unlike the constant changes and tinkering and the quest to extract revenue from more of the screen, boring content is not Facebook’s fault. The blame there can only be placed on the users.
The advice here is two-fold. First, if you’re staying with Facebook as an avid user, personally or professionally, make your content interesting to stand out from the clutter. If what you’re posting draws “likes” and comments (or clicks if you track them), think about why and keep it up. If it’s not, consider it part of the mundane stuff that is drawing your friends and acquaintances off the platform. Second, make sure you don’t weigh your communications efforts too far into any one platform.