While much of the debate here on HN is around why authors continue to write pieces about "the end of X" or "the demise of Y", I couldn't help but ask the question: "Why do we continue to read them/link to them?
Possible answers:
1. Many of us (or our employers) rely on these audiences for revenue, so knowing where they are and what they're interested in enables us to have success
2. We're interested in what drives success/failure, despite logic indicating that -- in both scenarios -- random chance plays one of the largest parts
3. It's like good old-fashioned gossip, where everyone who doesn't actually have anything to say can still speak up
4. We hope to learn from history as it happens to us; if we can accurately predict why people are leaving Facebook and where they're going, we can be part of -- or the driver of -- the next wave.
Possible answers:
1. Many of us (or our employers) rely on these audiences for revenue, so knowing where they are and what they're interested in enables us to have success
2. We're interested in what drives success/failure, despite logic indicating that -- in both scenarios -- random chance plays one of the largest parts
3. It's like good old-fashioned gossip, where everyone who doesn't actually have anything to say can still speak up
4. We hope to learn from history as it happens to us; if we can accurately predict why people are leaving Facebook and where they're going, we can be part of -- or the driver of -- the next wave.