Crackdown on online social networking takes its toll

The growth of online social networking websites such as MySpace and Facebook is one of the biggest online global phenomenons, argued to be the new and one of the most effective ways of staying in touch with colleagues, friends and relatives. In the first six months of 2007 alone, the number of users of these sites reached 6.5 million throughout the world and 3.2 million respectively in the UK.

However, it seems that the popularity of these sites may be under threat according to research commissioned by Motorpoint, the UK’s largest car supermarket, whose website generates a large proportion of the retailer’s new and used car sales, and which was named as the most visited out of all the automotive dealers in the UK last year.

The online consumer study of over 5,500 respondents revealed that a staggering 58% of those polled, claimed that they do not use these sites, coming ahead of 27% who go online to re-kindle old friendships, and 20% who want to stay in touch with existing friends. This suggests that factors including the latest legal action surrounding the creators of Facebook, and the clampdown by companies to stop their employees from visiting this type of facility during worktime, have begun to deter many from joining the millions who have already created their own online personal site, and signalling an uncertain future for the Internet communities.

Commenting on the findings, David Shelton, Managing Director of Motorpoint explains: “As with any trend, there is a time when it reaches its peak, which is what our research has highlighted, and it seems like that the popularity of these sites is slowing, spurred on by the fear that any decisions in the courts could potentially have an effect on people’s online behaviour. This however, has not deterred those wishing to make purchases over the Internet.”