iStrategyLabs (iStrategyLabs.com) has released new numbers based on a study from January to July 2009 which apparently shows a growth of 513.7 percent of Facebook members aged 55 and older , a drop of 16.5 percent in high schoolers and 21.7 percent drop in college students.
But before you panic and think that Facebook’s popularity is over among the “cool kids”, take a moment to read about why these numbers appear like that.
iStrategyLabs did not actually survey Facebook users, it just looked at the user’s affiliations where Facebook members choose to identify the school they attend. So how does this explain the drop?
A blog from Business Week has the idea that between January and July, millions of young people graduated from school, so perhaps they also dropped their online affiliation with their alma maters, and not because they have left the site entirely.
Another good reason why there is a decrease in the number of users is that university and high school affiliations make it rather easier to track people, increasing their concern over privacy.
With school affiliations, teachers or parents can easily find your page and see that newest pic you had when you were out partying last night – so why take the risk? In my book, it’s easier to drop those affiliations than being grounded for a week right?
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