[s_henry_paulson]

Fair enough, but I think the reason this is getting upvoted so much is because I think many of us can relate to the content in the article, so maybe there is something here worth considering.

After all, with many predecessors like Friendster and Myspace, most people that left didn't even bother to delete their accounts, they just stopped using the service.

As far as anecdotal evidence, I'm seeing the same thing happen as well, both with myself and others.

[jonnathanson]

I didn't say there's no merit to the article, or that its point might not be right. It might just be. Rather, what I'm saying is that I'd like to see some actual analysis and data on this subject for once, instead of just everyone's anecdotes.

I'm pretty sure we've all got anecdotes about how our friends, kids, neighbors, co-workers, etc., are slowing down or stopping their Facebook use. And that may well mean something big. But it's equally possible that we, our peers, and our children, are not a representative sample. Or that we're just not the core FB user base. Etc.

I guess what I'm saying is that I'm open to the conjecture posed in the article. I may even be partially inclined to believe it. But I'm skeptical until I see real evidence.

[waterlesscloud]

I think stories like this get upvoted because a certain percentage of HN users want FB to fail.

A certain percentage (probably other people) want Google to fail and upvote those stories.

A certain percentage want YC to fail and upvote those stories.

A certain percentage want Apple to fail and upvote those stories.

I don't think anything meaningful can be derived from such upvote patterns.

[novamantis]

Since it's absolutely impossible for anyone to legitimately relate to the proposed sentiments because in reality all people are is haters... That's what you're saying. So let's disregard any and all anecdotes.