Facebook is worryingly uncool

Can the social network improve its reputation among teens and 20-somethings?

At a recent Hanover breakfast that I hosted with @kchadda and @gavinmegaw, The Economist’s Digital Editor, @tomstandage discussed his new book, Writing on the Wall: Social Media, the first 2,000 years. It’s a fascinating and well-argued rollercoaster through the timeline of communications.

Tom Standage used the word ‘cool’ frequently during his talk.

This struck me as interesting. In the Q&A that followed, I asked the author to share his opinion on Facebook. Surely the social network, despite its scale, is now seriously uncool within the youth market? What does it mean when our interns and junior staff tell me they are no longer using Facebook? It’s now the playground of their parents.

And who wants to hang out with the olds, right?

Standage agreed that troubled times could be ahead. A serious privacy breach coupled with a rival social network launched with much buzz and acclaim at SXSW could put Facebook in real trouble, he suggested.

Do you think Facebook could be in trouble? Is its allure still strong enough to entice those in their teens or 20s? Tweet me @chrismwoods with your view.

Read more about the breakfast with Tom Standage, including my interview with the author.