According to a recent poll by the Associated Press and CNBC, 46 percent of respondents think Facebook will "fade away as new things come along." That's an ominous data point for a company whose IPO dominated the news cycle last week, and claims some 900 million worldwide users.
Facebook seems to be infiltrating every facet of our lives. "Like" buttons appear on every website. "Like us on Facebook!" shouts at us during TV commercials. And more and more apps rely on Facebook to simply log in. It's starting to feel more than a little oppressive -- it's like we're living in a blue-and-white-painted jail cell.
And all this IPO madness is just foul icing on the cake.
So where do you turn when the world's been stricken with Facebook fever? We rounded up seven apps that could satisfy your social networking needs should Facebook go down the tubes -- or you just can't take it anymore.
Google+
As Facebook fervor dies down, Google's social networking attempt could rise up to the occasion, and -- dare we say it -- eventually take its place.
The popularity of Google+ is definitely on the rise. A number of commenters pointed out in our hands-on with Google's redesigned iOS app that they are fervent users of the network, finding it a great source for quality content minus the "moronic posts" that litter Facebook feeds.
Speaking of the redesign, Google+'s updated iPhone app (see photo above) features an attractive, almost post-modern aesthetic and a much-improved user experience. The Android version is set to get a facelift in the near future, too. Google+ is one of the few social networks that has both a robust mobile and web experience, making it a strong contender for those tired of that other social network.
Viddy
For something a little different, how about a social network based entirely around sharing video? That's Viddy.
You can take a video using the app's camera, which has adjustable white balance, exposure, and focus settings. You can also grab a video already in your camera roll, and upload it to Viddy. From there, you can go hog-wild with Instagram-like creativity, adding one of a handful of different filters -- Vintage, Black & White, and Crystal are default options, with more available as free in-app downloads. You can also add music, transitions, and other visual effects.
With one click you can share your videos to other platforms like Twitter or YouTube. Or you can just stay in the app and like, comment, and re-share others' videos. The videos you can upload are bite-sized -- 15 seconds max -- so it's easy and fun to hop from one video to the next.
Viddy launched in February this year, and now has 36 million monthly active users, or "Viddyographers."
Path
For an exclusively mobile social networking experience, Path could be your bag. It lets you share your life in the form of a "simple, private journal." Because it has no web component, I find it's much more of an "in the moment" kind of sharing than a platform for long status update tirades, or ubiquitous link-sharing.
The design is charming and intuitive, and is one of the main draws of the experience. Similar to Facebook, you get to set a background "cover" image for your profile, and choose a personal profile photo for yourself. Your postings as well as those of your friends (including status updates, photos, check-ins, and the music you're currently listening to) are uploaded in a straightforward, reverse-chronological timeline, and you can react to posts with a heart, one of four different smiley faces, or with a comment.
It's available on iOS and Android.
Pair
If it's just you and your significant other who you care about constantly connecting with, you don't need a massive social network like Google+, or even Path. Instead, you need Pair.
Oleg Kostour, Pair cofounder and CEO, told Wired the app offers a more personal way to talk to someone significant in your life -- and it's entirely private.
The app centers around a conversation between you and your loved one, but besides SMS-style messaging, you can share photos, drawings, and video, as well as location check-ins. You can also collaborate on art (for a simultaneous game of tic-tac-toe for instance), or use the app's trademark feature, the thumb kiss: You and your partner place your thumbs on your respective smartphone screens at the same time, and when they're pressed against identical spots onscreen for a couple of seconds, the screen bursts and you've virtually "kissed."
Since the app is designed to be used between only two people, it's a bit of a small, nontraditional social network, if it can really even be classified as such.
Wait. Instagram is... part of Facebook now? F7U12.
Even so, Instagram is still our favorite way to share square-cropped photos colored by fun, often retro-inspired filters. The $1 billion photo-sharing community is rich and active, and most of all, incredibly addictive. Once you start using Instagram, you start seeing the world in a different way -- as moments you'd like to capture and enhance with a filter effect to amplify a particular mood.
Because Instagram is more of a niche social network, it would never fully take the place of a larger network like that of Facebook or Google+. Nevertheless, it provides a fun, friendly way to see the world through smartphone lenses across the globe.
Instagram is now available on both iOS and Android.
EveryMe
EveryMe is both an amalgamation of your existing major social networks -- Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram -- and a complete departure.
The app is all about circles of contacts, each of which is private. There’s no option for public sharing at all in this app. Because of this, you shouldn’t have to worry about privacy settings being changed on a whim, or private posts suddenly appearing to all of the interwebs.
Once you’ve synced with your favorite existing networks, the app automatically creates circles of contacts (pulled from your smartphone contacts). You can edit these so-called “Magic Circles," or create your own. If you have people you want to stay in touch with who don’t have a social media presence, that’s OK too. You can add them with an e-mail address or a phone number so they can stay in the loop.
You can then interact with people in those circles, posting status updates, check-in information, and photographs. Anything you update to one circle is exclusive to that circle -- so you don't have to worry about grandma and grandpa stumbling upon those photos of you doing a kegstand from last weekend, unless you know, you post them in the wrong circle.
Wait, Facebook is, like, a "thing"? That's funny, because at Gadget Lab, we gravitate to Twitter more often. We rely on it daily -- hourly, really -- for news alerts and socializing. Between the app, website, and the handful of very successful third-party clients, Twitter has solidified itself into an expedient, convenient social media mainstay that complements other more robust sharing services.
Sure, it's more about news, and less about social networking, but it's the one social network we'd be least inclined to ever give up.
