Is social networking losing its impetus with Web surfers as they become weighed down by the management connected to a cacophony of applications, messages, invitations, video clips, quizzes, and more?
Nielsen research data Facebook shows user decline in UK for the first time since 2006. Credit: Facebook.
According to data collected by media research company Nielsen, UK user figures attributed to online phenomenon Facebook have revealed that the hugely popular social network experienced a 5 percent decline from December 2007 to January 2008, dropping from 8.9 million users to 8.5 million.
Nielsen’s numbers indicate that the 5 percent drop is the first time the social network has not amassed monthly user growth in the region since July 2006, which is when the company first began gathering usage data related to Facebook.
That being said, a drop in activity connected to 400,000 members during a single month may just be a blip on Facebook’s continued growth as the UK’s number one social network destination. And that’s a point backed by Nielsen’s year-on-year figures, which show that Facebook has 712 percent more users now than in the same period in 2007.
“Just as one swallow doesn't make a summer, so one month of falling audiences doesn't spell the decline of Facebook or social networking,” commented Alex Burmaster, European Internet analyst for Nielson Online, in a BBC report. “However, real growth potential lies in the niche networks -- those based on a particular lifestyle or interest, such as travel, music, wealth or business.”
Facebook was not alone in its drop off either, with Nielsen’s figures showing a similar 5 percent UK drop for News Corp.’s second-placed MySpace and a 2 percent decline for third-placed Bebo network.
View blog reactions
There are currently no comments for this article. Be the first to comment! (no registration required)
Advertising
There are currently no comments for this article. Be the first to comment! (no registration required)