With more than a billion active accounts worldwide, it can be easy to forget that some people don’t use Facebook. In fact, “non-use” of the social networking site is fairly common, according to new research by communication post-doc Eric P.S. Baumer. Around one-third of Facebook users take breaks from the site by deactivating their account, and 11 percent completely quit. Others come up with some creative ways to keep themselves from visiting too often. Motivations vary, from concerns about privacy and data misuse to problems with productivity and addiction.
Another study, by Ph.D student Erin Spottswood, found that the more past romantic relationships people have had, the more interests they list in their Facebook profiles – possibly because they tend to adopt new interests and behaviors from their partners. In addition, she found that people who post more photos of their partners on Facebook and who regularly tag their partner in their status updates tend to have closer romantic relationships..
