Why you won't quit Facebook
Facebook haters sure do talk a big game.
Some of the most common complaints: Facebook is destroying privacy. Facebook has too many bugs and glitches. The new Facebook design is stupid. Facebook is too acquiescent when it comes to vicious online debates over the Prophet Mohammad. This week, 30 percent of Facebook users polled by the UK company Sophos said they were "highly likely" to quit Facebook. Another 30 percent said it was "possible" that they'd quit sometime soon.
Meanwhile, a site called QuitFacebookDay.com – the holiday is scheduled for May 31, so mark your calendar – has encouraged angry Facebookers to leave their beloved social network forever. "For us it comes down to two things: fair choices and best intentions," the organizers of the site have written. "In our view, Facebook doesn't do a good job in either department." Thus far, some 12,000 disgruntled users have voiced their agreement.
So is Facebook about to see all its users head for the door? No. And let us tell you why.
Facebook haters are also current Facebook users, which means that – at one point or another – they were Facebook lovers. They liked the site's utility; they liked be able to look up old college friends. They liked being able to list their favorite movies, and find other people who also enjoyed all the Nicholas Sparks movies, including "A Walk To Remember," even though the ending was kind of depressing.
They liked the connectivity.
Unfortunately, if these haters ditch Facebook, they're going to find a paucity of options. Where will they go? MySpace is pretty much dead, except as a music platform. Twitter is cool, but it doesn't offer the same depth as Facebook. There's Diaspora, but as of now, the site is just a dream rattling around in the heads of a few college students.
Want proof of how hard it is to leave Facebook? Comb through the dozens of "I Hate Facebook" groups. Are they hosted on MySpace? Twitter? No, they're hosted on Facebook. In other words, people are angry at Facebook, but not angry enough to overlook the fact that Facebook is the best place to plan a protest against... Facebook.
