Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:FB) is a fancy social networking platform that has engaged people from all generations. The fullness or the soaking point of the platform, however, is fast approaching in the near future. There will be a time where we all may witness more gravestone profiles on Facebook than actual live users, according to the latest study.
The study was conducted and proclaimed in the academic journal Big Data & Society recently. The experts’ and academicians presuming that profiles of dead people will beat the living ones on Facebook in the next 50 years. The University of Oxford’s Internet Institute (OII) has recently published new research, stating that the drift will “have grave implications” that opaques the quip for our culture and antiquity.
The curative study of Facebook user levels conducted in 2018 revealed that at least 1.4 billion prevailing users will depart before 2100. According to the analysis, the global sum of dead profiles on Facebook will be exceeding 500 million (±3.86 million) in 2060 and 1 billion (±8.67 million) in 2079.
It is to be noted that under these reservative presumptions of tombstone profiles could surpass the actual live ones by 2070. But, if we go by Facebook’s possible development rates, the Oxford team states that the figure could be as steep as 4.9 billion by 2100 that representing the dead users on the whole. The number of monthly active users on Facebook has reached 2.35 billion by the end of March 2019.
The academics specially sketched two synopses which would draw usage prospects and its trends likely on the social networking platform.
The first synopsis presumed that no further users register as of 2018, Asia’s estimate of dead users would drastically grow to 44% of the total users by the edge of the century, where the 50% of profiles dawning from India and Indonesia. Therefore roughly consolidating to 279 million extinction by 2100.
The second synopsis assumed that Facebook will clock the growth rate of approximately 13% each year continuously until the market fullness is realised. As in this case, Africa will rule the percentage of perished users, and Nigeria one of the top areas adding to the number.
The western users will become the least contributory part with only the United States stretching into the list of the top ten of the highest dead user profile rates.
These forecasts are just based upon the data gathered from the United Nations (UN) reporting to the anticipated mortality rates and the population levels categorised by age factor across several countries including pitched mortality from 2000 to 2100.
The prime factor is that Facebook user information was scoured from the Facebook Audience Insights peculiarity feature and so it obviously does have some restraints. However, as one of the novel observations of its classification, the outcomes are still of concern.
The academics have raised a query on ethical, historical, and data protection factors on Facebook, which would be hosting so much of headstone accounts in the near future.
“On a societal level, we have just begun asking these questions and we have a long way to go,” said lead author Carl Öhman. “The management of our digital remains will eventually affect everyone who uses social media, since all of us will one day pass away and leave our data behind. But the totality of the deceased user profiles also amounts to something larger than the sum of its parts. It is, or will at least become, part of our global digital heritage.”
The expired and gravestone profiles may be expected to reach the immense levels in the near future. However, in the meantime, Facebook is going through a tough time to handle the challenges of active sham and deceitful accounts.
Just as the case, the social networking behemoth has been pushed to get on top of rising concern. That includes the process of generating fake accounts by US law enforcement just to gather curative information on suspects during inquiries without the requirement for a warrant.
By not considering the extent of the network’s expansion in the years to come, the enormous preponderance of dead profiles would belong to users from non-western countries. Also when considering Facebook’s global reach, the collectivity of dead user accounts surmounts to a greater extent. These profiles are becoming component of our composite record as a kind of evolution and may prove priceless to the forthcoming generations.
All said and done, the big question that may still be making rounds in people’s head – will Facebook survive until 2100? That’s the discussion for another day, some other analysis.
