Social Networking Enters the Age of Angst

in internet on 2014-05-05 04:49 (#3JY)

This is either the age of social networking, or it's not. It's either the future, or it's already a has-been. What the heck is going on?

Forbes has printed a thoughtful article on why Google Plus has failed to thrive . The Atlantic has written a piece suggesting Twitter is on the decline . Facebook's interest among teens seems to be slowing, while their "page reach" is down by 50% .

So, what's going on? Is it because, post- Snowden , everyone is tired of being spied on? Has everyone moved on to cooler platforms? Has everyone ditched social networking and gone back to Usenet ? Is it possible, as one author suggests, that privacy is now overtaking sharing on the 'Net? Or has everyone just found something more productive to do, like work in the garden?

[Note: this article has been cross-posted nowhere else. :) Want to comment? Here's the place.]

Maybe this says more about journalists? (Score: 2, Interesting)

by zafiro17@pipedot.org on 2014-05-05 09:08 (#1CH)

Who's to say? I concur that G+ isn't all that it was cracked up to be, and some of their decisions - like making any potential Youtube commenter a G+ member and then lauding the 'huge growth in users' - have been circumspect. As the Forbes article points out, the G+ thing was run by an ex-Microsofter who probably came pre-installed with that kind of crappy business tactic in his genetic code.

That said, all the pissing on current platforms might just reflect falling page-views in major media and the need to post/publish inflammatory articles that drive page views.

Anyway, given there doesn't seem to be - in my opinion - any alternative platforms out there, I don't see anyplace for people to 'go to.' Unless we've just grown tired of talking with strangers over the Internet. Not impossible.