What are your thoughts on the longevity of Facebook?

[Shmonnorshmusie]

I understand that the gist of this question has been asked before, but I am not looking for a simple answer. This is for an essay I am writing and I am very curious about what people truly think about how long Facebook will be the social network everyone is using. Social networking websites have constantly been rising and falling since the dawn of the internet, but Facebook seems to be taking on a life of it's own. We all thought that Myspace was the be all and end all in the realm of interconnection, but then our views were shattered with the sweeping coup by Facebook. I am just looking for serious opinions on how this whole thing will pan out. Unlike other varieties of social networking, Facebook seems to be coming out with an update before it has been necessary. Facebook comes out with a new update, feature, or overall improvement faster than it's users can comprehend. It is akin to a record holder beating his/her own previous record before anyone else has a chance to try; Facebook developers are producing new material before anyone else even has a chance to come up with the idea. It's truly brilliant in my opinion, but in retrospect this makes me question how far this can go. The only other website that I can think of which rivals Facebook (but not actually at all) is Twitter; which basically took the "status" feature, and made it the center aspect of the website. Twitter basically fell into the niche Facebook left for it: a hub for celebrity's updates. As of now, Facebook seems to be keeping up with technology and pop culture, but all good things must come to an end, no? And with Facebook going public this year, I am just wondering; will I be the annoying Father (or even Grandfather) trying to friend my children on Facebook, like my parents are currently doing, in 20+ years? Does Facebook have what it takes to keep up with our out-of-control/insatiable culture?

Serious responses only please.

[Fordry]

well, the key difference is that myspace was just a simpler version of geocities where you could "friend" other people. Thats all it was. Facebook has all the intercommunication features necessary for longevity, unless they really screw up, I don't see them becoming significantly less popular any time soon. they have become the de facto standard for communication/interaction on an interpersonal level.

[Srimal]

If you’re using social media as part of your integrated marketing strategy, after you’ve created a piece of content, you probably share the link on Twitter, Facebook or both platforms. Kind of important then to understand the science behind what happens once those links are shared, isn’t it? What links have more legs – those shared on Twitter or links shared on Facebook?