Social network sites lose ‘cool’ image.

Here we go again. The FT delivered an article with the above headline this morning.  I know this, because I was just given a scanned copy by a colleague.

And once again, a big headline with pretty much a nothing story behind it.

Basically, it’s saying that the proportion of 15-24 years olds with a profile on Facebook fell for the first time last year from 55% to 50%, according to the communications regulator (no doubt a spotty teenager they thought they’d ask who was walking by the office). 

I think the key word in this statement is ‘proportion’, because actually, the site (or the medium itself, if we’re going to be fussy here) has become no less popular, but when you read on (in the same article), it continues by backing up the grand claim made in the headline by stating that ‘the number of 25-34 year olds claiming to have a social networking profile grew by 6%, and among 35-54 year olds, it grew by 8%’.  Clearly, that makes the world of Social Networking totally uncool.

So to me, logic dictates that, as more and more people discover the range of options available, finding one that delivers for them, and set up their profile, the ‘proportion’ of a sites overall 15—24 years old – the earlier adopters – will decrease.  Nothing more sinister.  It’s just common sense.

Oh, and then they go on to say – and I quote – ‘The findings are likely to attract the attention of media financiers, whose assumptions of media usage were shattered three weeks ago when the 15 year old Morgan Stanley intern Matthew Robson claimed that teenagers did not use the much hyped microblogging service Twitter’.

To all the ‘media financiers’ that are worrying, have no fear.  I have tried to help out here by undertaking my own research.  Don’t worry, I have applied the now tried and tested ‘research criteria’ that appears to be totally acceptable for the National Press to use as a solid basis for comment when discussing the emerging Social Networking arena – I have asked someone their opinion.

I decided not to waste my time with a ‘focus group’ or any form of ‘old fashioned’ qualitative or quantitative research, as it’s quite clear that the future success of any platform in this space can be determined by the opinion of one person, and so here goes with my findings.

What a crock of Sh1t.

To Maija Palmer, the ‘Technology Correspondent’ who wrote the piece, why don’t you stop wasting your time and (expensive) space writing such inconclusive rubbish, and instead carry out some meaningful research. Or just do something else.

Man, this sort of over-dramatic, underwhelming reporting gets on my thrippenies. 

Harumph.

P.S. To help further explain the validity of this research, I asked a rather 'un-cool' 37 year old chubby bloke I know for his input – me.  That should do it.

Comments

[Alex Hens]

oh my god.

You're wrong Ben - it's even worse than Maija reports. I've asked my two and a half year old and he has no interest at all in twitter or facebook. Generation Z are so apathetic about their media choices it's just scary!

[Ben]

Let the press know Hensy - this could be your 15 minutes of fame all lived out through your son - good work on the research fella.

[Sinead Bunting]

Interesting post.

I think the sentiment of the article is interesting - in terms of whether young people will be loyal to sites such as Facebook and will they and their friendship circles be so ingrained in this platform that it becomes a long-term, lifetime 'social utility' that they use.

It's a valid point to consider, but her OTT quote about media financiers being 'shattered' by the 15 year-old Morgan Stanley twitter revelation, somewhat dilutes any impact of her ponderings.

My school friends are still the basis of my closest friendship group - but I know a lot of people have lost touch with school friends and are closer to Uni friends.

Will Facebook mean that young people will have friends/contacts for life or will they move on, leave school friends behind, who are now part of their current network, form new friendships and join new social networks?

Hmmn....only time will tell.