The Guardian reported that last year, in US alone, Facebook lost six million users. People are getting bored of social networks. Facebook is considered an unproductive use of time. Twitter is reduced to sharing short bursts of advertisements and contests. So where are we heading?

Are Social Networks dead? Or is there a deeper mystery here?

There are naturally different opinions on how useful social networks truly are. But the problem is, is that really the right question? Have we been using social networks for their utility? Aren’t the social networks more for sharing and entertainment? From our favorite book quotes to the novels we’ve read, from which restaurant we visited to which movie we saw recently…that’s what we do on social networks, isn’t it? It seems that the social network’s audience has, over time and gradually, developed a discerning taste when it comes to logging in. The phrase “over sharing” has become a buzzword in the social networking spheres. From constant barrage of photographs to posts to tags to check-ins, everyone wants everyone to know what others are doing and yet everyone freaks out about changed privacy setting, the ability of strangers to follow and connect with our social networks and about the fact that NSA may be spying.

Truth be told, social networks have been a part of our lives for a decade and more now. But now we are growing up. The generation that took to the internet like a storm with Facebook, Twitter and the whole load of other networks is getting busy, finding jobs, making their lives, their careers, even families. The urge to spend hours going through the newsfeed, looking for things and links to like and share is dwindling. And in this nebulous despair of rapidly approaching irrelevancy, a silver lining has emerged too.

People are getting selective. They are choosing social networks for the utility and functionality, not merely for a pretty interface and entertainment. Be it the fandom who share their passion on Tumblr or the shutterbugs who like to capture the beauty around them and share it via Instagram. Selectivity is the new parameter of choice. We too have found that more and more social network startups are focusing on providing a higher degree of control to the end user. A high functionality based business model that provides connectivity for a specific purpose with a streamlined network.

There are certainly exciting examples that can be cited in terms of how Social Selectivity is now a phenomenon, where not merely the business models are adopting the social network as a key component, but the social network itself is adapting the approach to be more exclusive, with less and less distractions. Take a look at some of the most exciting and high functioning social network designs that provide that one key utility to their users, instead of just a general platform for sharing and entertaining.

DumpsterFire

Dumpster Fire is one of the most exciting fantasy football league portals that allows its users to sign up, log in and draft their own fantasy football league or join an existing one and start playing. The business model is unique in providing a greater degree of connectivity and high engagement to the user in the site’s core attraction, fantasy football. The ability to connect with fellow enthusiasts, follow your favorite leagues and keep track of your plays and pays enable the user to feel far more connected and entertained and yet feels more productive and conducive.

OhYouHero

Ohyouhero is a social portal that helps people find local help in their vicinity. An online portal that allows the user to not only connect to people in their area and engage in exchange of skills and labour, but also provides a higher degree of choice in terms of which task they need help with, who they should trust a certain task to and why. From vouching for the credibility to a streamlined search functionality, OhYouHero has been a highly appreciated portal for its utility and connectivity combined.

These are some of the examples of how Social Networking, while not a fading trend, has taken a turn for the better. People are choosy. They want special, they want new. And these networks are adapting with time and providing not only what people need, but also taking a step ahead and providing what people can and will need in the coming future. It’s time for the internet to grow up. Being cool is fine. Being cool by being useful, is better!