Bored Users?
Facebook fatigue: The social network's problems could run deeper than the IPO
A poll from Reuters/Ispos casts more doubt on the value of Facebook's 900 million-plus users to advertisers and marketers, uncovering negative results in terms of advertising and time spent on the popular social media outlet.
Reuters and Ispos wanted to determine the potential monetization of Facebook, but the research gave them even more insights. With 1,000 American respondents of various ages, the online survey's results are illuminating:
- 34 percent of Facebook users are spending less time on the site because it is "boring," "not relevant," or "not useful."
- 4 out of 5 respondents have never bought product or service as a result of advertising or comments on the social platform.
- 44 percent said Facebook's troubled initial public offering left them with a less favorable opinion of the company.
- 46 percent said the Facebook IPO made them more wary of investing in the stock market in general.
Also according to the survey, most active members are between the ages of 18 and 34 and only 29 percent of the users are older than 55.
It seems that Facebook’s IPO has only brought the company trouble. Researchers have tried to identify the factors leading to Facebook’s loss of popularity, and concluded people who use the site for a long time suffer from “Facebook fatigue.”
"Facebook continuously has the challenge of Facebook fatigue, of the novelty factor wearing off," Gartner analyst Ray Valdes said in the survey, "and therefore they have to introduce new kinds of interaction." He cites new features such as the "Timeline" interface and the planned $1 billion acquisition of mobile photo-sharing app Instagram.
Facebook had no comment, but referred to case studies with positive results, touting stories such as Nutella's, which found that a 15 percent increase in sales was attributable to Facebook, and restaurant chain Applebee's, whose Facebook ads delivered a threefold return on investment.
