Facebook: Disappearing by 2020?

[Gahars]

So, I'm sure everyone here has heard about the Facebook IPO (more like I.P.U., am I right?) kerfuffle; you'd have to live under a rock on the far side of the moon to have missed the news.

A lot of people have been speculating what it bodes for the future of Facebook and other social networks. According to Eric Jackson, the road ahead isn't looking too hot.

Facebook‘s sliding stock price has at least one hedge fund manager predicting a dismal decade ahead for the social network.

“In five to eight years they are going to disappear in the way that Yahoo has disappeared,” Ironfire Capital founder Eric Jackson told the CNBC show Squawk on the Street on Monday.

“Yahoo is still making money, it’s still profitable, still has 13,000 employees working for it, but it’s 10% of the value that it was at the height of 2000,” Jackson added. “For all intents and purposes, it’s disappeared.”

So how exactly does Jackson see Facebook’s power eroding by decade’s end? He says it will be the continued emergence of the mobile web — and Facebook’s struggle to adapt to that paradigm shift.

“The world is moving faster, it’s getting more competitive, not less,” he said. “I think those who are dominant in their prior generation are really going to have a hard time moving into this newer generation.

“Facebook can buy a bunch of mobile companies, but they are still a big, fat website and that’s different from a mobile app.”

Mashable

I hope there are enough hundred dollar bills in Mark Zuckerberg's vast fortune to wipe all the tears.

Seriously, though, it isn't all bad. I mean, no matter what, we'll always have MySpace, right? Right? You guys?

So, what do you think? Does this guy have a friend request with irrelevancy, or is the company going to have to face(book) the music?

 

[431unknown]

My company printed the IPO for Facebook it was a fucking disaster. I wish Facebook would just disappear.

 

[awssk8er]

Nothing lasts forever. If it lasts until 2012, that would be amazing.

I would expect something knew to out-do it before then.

 

[DinohScene]

My company printed the IPO for Facebook it was a fucking disaster. I wish Facebook would just disappear.

I second your motion..

I've had nothing but trouble with facebook and the level of idiocy it hosts is downright pathetic.

My so called "friends" threatened me that must add them.
On every posted letter I got a ton of criticism from everyone and I'd been forced to join those stupid retarded games.

It also took a century before I finally got rid of my account cause fb wouldn't delete it straight away ;/


I personally hope that FB becomes the new myspace or that people would finally realize that it's seriously invading someone's privacy.
Burglars are known to pick houses based on people that posted that they where away on vacation.

 

[Luigi2012SM64DS]

Horray for google+

 

[Gahars]

To pitch in my two cents: I honestly have no real problems with Facebook. It's a fine way to communicate and coordinate with my friends, and it makes keeping up with the movies, games, bands, etc. I like a bit easier. I just don't use it for anything else beyond that. I never got into the social gaming scene, and I haven't bothered to update my photos, statuses, profile, etc. for quite a while. Facebook is just kind of there for me.

If it goes? I can't say that I'll be too heartbroken.

 

[machomuu]

I've predicted this, as well as the fall of Social Media. In the not-so-far future, I believe that we'll have already evolved past Social Media and gone into some medium that allows us to almost literally be connected to the rest of the world. I'd say something similar to Eden of the East.

 

[adrian2040]

People want to communicate with as many other people as possible. Thus, most people will prefer to use the single most popular social app/website, leaving the others behind as they won't be as effective and can be seen as a waste of time regardless of how good they are. So I see things happening on two different ways: Either most people will remain on Facebook or, at some point, there will be a mass movement of users into a single new or revitalized social network.

There is another scenario I can see happening. People would be more eager to use different social networks if they were compatible with each others, like phones. Thus, they would be able to use their social network of choice and still be able to talk with friends who uses other social networks. However, I doubt that companies (Currently Facebook) will give up their monopolies so easily.

 

[dickfour]

Hey isn't gbatemp just a big fat web site also?

 

[machomuu]

Hey isn't gbatemp just a big fat web site also?

I assume you mean a "Social Media Website", and as similar to one it has become after that one update (that made it like...all of this), I still don't think forums count.

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

Meh. Facebook is just where I go to creep on my female friends fap to my female friend's pictures see what my friends are up to. That's about it really...I won't be all that sad when it goes, I'll just move on to the next thing.

 

[Gahars]

Hey isn't gbatemp just a big fat web site also?

No, we're a big boned web site. There's a difference, I swear.

 

[pubert09]

I must live under a rock....I had no idea about this.
I don't use Facebook anyway, so it would make no difference to me...well it would be good for me actually, because I would stop hearing people talk about it STILL.

 

[PolloDiablo]

die facebook die

 

[Midna]

I hope so
Oh god I hope so
And I know it's a longshot, but maybe they can take with them the ever rising popularity of the internet in general? I want the casual to leave.

 

[Rydian]

He says it will be the continued emergence of the mobile web — and Facebook’s struggle to adapt to that paradigm shift.

Maybe if their mobile app didn't suck...

“I think those who are dominant in their prior generation are really going to have a hard time moving into this newer generation.

I agree with him here. We already see so many "old" companies that have no clue how to market things to the current generation.

 

[Costello]

I highly doubt that Facebook will just "disappear" by 2020.

I believe people will still continue to use it.
And IF it were to disappears, the reason would be "something better came and took its place".
By that, I mean people will probably always use social networks. Again, that's until something better takes their place.

 

[Hells Malice]

I just really wish social networking would become incredibly uncool so I can stop seeing all this fucking facebook integration on every site.
It drives me nuts that you can basically use a facebook account as an all-access pass to the entire internet.

I'm also tired of hearing about Facebook all the time.

Facebook dying is inevitable. It's going to die. Myspace was booming one minute, and dead the next. I'm sure facebook will do the same. Unfortunately, it'll just be replaced by some even more obnoxious site that lets morons post even more revealing details about themselves so they can get in even more compromising situations.

 

[ShadowSoldier]

Zuckerberg said himself, mobile apps is what will kill facebook. On phones, not only does their app suck, but you get no ads, thus them not receiving any money.

The only reason I go to Facebook anymore is to keep up to date with posts that I can't see on Twitter. Otherwise, I use twitter for everything.

 

[triassic911]

I was actually thinking about this the other day... While Facebook is heavily integrated in other sites (you can login to anything by using your facebook account), it's still a social media site. We all saw what happened to Myspace. It died after being so popular. I can only assume Facebook will face its death eventually.