Facebook is Recently Becoming Very Overpopulated

The Facebook Population

Since Facebook is available on a global scale to anyone who has a valid e-mail address, the ever-growing population of this social networking site is quite impressive. Facebook has more than 80 million users, and this number does not include members who do not actively participate on the website. Although this is nowhere near the number of members that MySpace boasts, it is still an impressive number nonetheless.

Facebook is not designed to cater to only students. It is available for anyone and is designed as a social networking tool for anyone who wishes to join. Many members are attracted to Facebook's ease of use. The ability to network professionally is quite appealing to users who are no longer enrolled in school.

The Opinion: Facebook is Recently Becoming Very Overpopulated

It's difficult to declare a social networking website as overpopulated for several reasons including:

• There is no physical meeting place for members of the site, so the term overpopulated cannot be applied to a lack of space.
• The increase of users does not necessarily affect the functionality of the website.
• There is generally no detrimental factor attributed to an increased user population.

In fact, the more users on a social networking website the better chances users have of making the type of professional connections, friendships, and potential romances that come with an increased population.

To deem something overpopulated is to insinuate that the additional users somehow lessen the experience for the existing members in one way or another. While it may be true that there is indeed a steady increase in the Facebook population, it is difficult to declare the site overpopulated.

The Appeal of Fewer Users

Many users turned to Facebook after MySpace evolved from being an incredibly popular social networking website for students into a mainstream site for people of all ages. Facebook offered a new option for Internet users to create a website and interact with other people online without dealing with the steadily increasing user population of MySpace.

As the Facebook population grew, however, it became more mainstream and more of a competitor of MySpace instead of an alternative. Users who turned to Facebook to escape the random "Friends Requests" and other potential annoyances of MySpace began to experience the same things with Facebook. These are the users who make the claim that Facebook is recently becoming very overpopulated.

In reality, however, a website cannot be truly overpopulated unless the number of registered users reaches a point that causes detrimental occurrences to the rest of the members. Massive numbers of hits on a website can cause real problems, but the Facebook application is relatively reliable and does not encounter recurring issues on a regular basis.

The Advantage of a Large User Base

Some users do not like the fact that more people join Facebook every day because it makes the original users feel as though they are not as unique as they once were. On the other hand, a larger population is good for Facebook for a few reasons:

• A large population of active users makes the website more attractive to investors. This allows for more revenue and therefore enables Facebook to implement more upgrades and features.
• A large base of users makes it easier to meet new people and reconnect with previous relationships. For users looking to network professionally, a large base of users is important.
• Stagnant growth would be detrimental to Facebook because without growth the company cannot move forward.

Facebook users need to understand that more people registering with the site is a positive thing as opposed to proof that the site is no longer original or trendy.