Social networking site Facebook has enjoyed a resurgence of popularity among users following a decline in its market share during January, new figures suggest. According to research conducted by intelligence firm Hitwise, the social networking site, launched in February 2004, has seen gains in its market share since the start of February - following a lull in January - and is now at its highest level since December.
However, according to Hitwise analyst Robin Goad, the average time spent by users on Facebook is starting to plateau, having remained at around 20 minutes and 50 seconds since the beginning of January.
Mr Goad states that this may indicate that the company's market share may also be levelling off.
He commented: "As social networks increase their market share, their average visit time also increases. The network effect means that the more people that are using a site, the more friends they have and the longer they spend there."
Mr Goad added, however, that the social networking site may "buck this trend", adding: "It'll be interesting to see how it fares over the next couple of months."
The analyst went on to state that the market share of social networking sites and forums in general has continued to grow over the last 12 months, rising from just under six per cent in March 2007 to over 7.5 per cent last month.
