 "Facebook is 'dead and buried' for UK teenagers: study")
London:Facebook is “dead and buried” foryoung people in the UK, who are moving on to “cooler things”,according to a major study of social media.
Professor Daniel Miller is one of team of eightethnographic researchers based at University College Londonwho are working on a study across seven countries includingIndia, China, Brazil and the UK to examine social mediatrends.
Miller said the social networking site was “simply notcool any more”.
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Facebook headquarters. AP image[/caption]
“What we’ve learned from working with 16 to 18-year-oldsin the UK is that Facebook is not just on the slide, it isbasically dead and buried,” said Miller.
Children and teenagers are increasingly communicatingthrough newer contenders such as Twitter, Instagram, SnapChatand WhatsApp.
The young people are apparently logging off to avoid thestigma of using the same site as the older generation - and tokeep their indiscretions private from relatives, ‘The Times’reported.
“What appears to be the most seminal moment in a youngperson’s decision to leave Facebook was surely that dreadedday your mum sends you a friend request,” he wrote on thewebsite theconversation.com.
“Parents have worked out how to use the site and see itas a way for the family to remain connected. In response, the young are moving on to cooler things,” he wrote.
Miller said the switch was taking place despite the factthat none of the rising stars of social media apps can matchFacebook for ease of use.
“In my school research, the closest friends are connectedto each other via Snapchat, WhatsApp is used to communicatewith quite close friends and Twitter the wider friends.Instagram can include strangers and is used a littledifferently,” said Miller.
“Facebook, on the other hand, has become the link witholder family, or even older siblings who have gone touniversity,” he said.
“I don’t expect Facebook to necessarily disappearaltogether. But I think it’s finished for the young in the UKand I suspect other countries will follow,” Miller said.
PTI