What will replace Facebook?

October 07, 2010 Digital Marketing: Facebook Launches Groups - Advertising Age - Digital. As I read the article above this morning, I was reminded again that Facebook cannot continue the growth it has experienced, and the luster with long-time users is wearing off. (I base that on personal experience, my network on FB is much quieter now than it was a year ago.) In fact I went to Google Trends to see what was happening with Facebook domestically. Their trend line has stopped its dramatic and exponential upward climb. It continues to grow but not explosively.

What comes next? As marketers, we tend to get caught up in the tools of today and executing them, we sometimes forget to be casting our eyes forward on what is coming next? What will captivate our collective attention next? Will Facebook come out with some startling innovation or is there a 16-year old out there in suburbia developing the next great tool? Innovation. Change. Growth. All three are things of interest.