Even as it races to hit the 700-million user mark, Facebook loses almost six million users in America and 1.5 million in Canada in the last month, taking its biggest beating yet. Are we too starting to tire of the social-media behemoth?
Even as it races to hit the 700-million user mark, Facebook loses almost six million users in America and 1.5 million in Canada in the last month, taking its biggest beating yet. Are we too starting to tire of the social-media behemoth?
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More than 7 million Facebook users in the United States and Canada abandoned their accounts last month, according to data from Inside Facebook, a blog that tracks traffic to the social networking site. The reason is being termed 'Facebook Fatigue'. 
A study done by online gaming site Roiworld has also revealed that several teenagers have tired of the popular netwroking site. Roiworld surveyed 600 American teens between the ages of 13 to 17 years and found that they spent roughly two hours on the Internet every day; 80% of that time was dedicated to social networking sites. The survey further revealed that almost one in five (19%) who have an FB account no longer log on or log on less frequently than they used to.
Back home, most youngsters agree that the charm of Facebook is fading. "I logged off FB around four months ago. There is just not enough privacy there. I was also bored of it," says 19-year-old Shankar Narayanan, who adds that several friends are following suit.
As if taking a cue from The Social Network, the film that allegedly traces Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's rise to fame, cases of youngsters losing friends in the real world have also been reported.
Clinical psychologist Seema Hingorrany says that in the past four months she hasu00a0 had to address 20 to 25 cases related to the social networking site. Poor interpersonal relationships, low self esteem, reduced concentration levels are amongu00a0 the common outcomes of using Facebook, according to Hingorrany.
"Facebook addiction is the most common problem with teenagers. Wanting to stay connected all the time and to know what people are posting becomes a compulsive need," she says.
Interestingly, those who get out of the 'habit' of using Facebook, do not show a preference to log back on. "Youngsters often post very insensitive comments, which can be read by everyone. There are so many fights that have occurred between families and friends because of this," she says.
24-year-old Ruhee Gotmare describes staying on Facebook for extended periods of time as "boring". "The initial fascination for the site has definitely worn out. I log on to Facebook only when I have free time." While she is reluctant to attribute it to 'Facebook Fatigue', she adds, "It does not hold my interest for long."
Time to log out?
You know you have Facebook Fatigue if...
> You are too bored to respond to invitations or 'pokes'
> You don't miss it, if you haven't accessed your account in 10 days
> You prefer to visit different sites when you go online
> You can't be bothered to react to comments
> You no longer care to share links or post videos you find interesting
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