Fading Orkut – Rising Facebook

Orkut has easily been the most popular social network in India for the past few years. However things are changing and Facebook seems to now have replaced Orkut as the happening network. Orkut users are seemingly migrating in herds to Facebook. Orkut seems to have become the network for kids and newbies while Facebook has become the place where the supposedly smart, rich, famous and influential are active. From movie stars to politicians, they all refer to Facebook as their social network of choice.

Why has this happened and that too in a remarkably short time? A few possible causes that come to mind are –

  1. Orkut is popular in India and Brazil while Facebook is an American network. By and large all things American are considered cool by the rest of the world.
  2. The celebrities were late to get on to the social network bandwagon. By the time the celebs got in, every Tom, Dick and Harry in India was on Orkut. In an attempt to stay away from the ‘masses network’ or the ‘janata network‘, the celebs went with Facebook.The media covered this and the masses followed the celebs to Facebook.
  3. Orkut has stagnated. It has less features than Facebook and has been unable to come up with any innovative new tool or service in the recent past.
  4. In India, tea is the drink of the masses while coffee is the drink for the elite. You would never see a young boy in India ask a girl out for tea; it’s always coffee. Tea is banal and uncool while coffee is hip and stylish. Orkut is tea. Facebook is coffee.
  5. Users just got bored of Orkut.

Do you also see such a trend? Any other causes that you can think of?

Hope to pen more thoughts on social networks soon.

14 Comments

  1. Yes, I feel the same indeed… I have stopped using orkut , only when i get some alerts I go and check it out.. !

  2. Yes, I feel the same indeed… I have stopped using orkut , only when i get some alerts I go and check it out.. !

  3. Am a Facebook user though haven’t tried Orkut. Facebook seems to have become that “one place” capturing people of different countires as they travel around the world. Great for keeping in touch. Couldn’t live without it. Still getting my head around Twitter though….who and how often do I share my thoughts with?

  4. Am a Facebook user though haven’t tried Orkut. Facebook seems to have become that “one place” capturing people of different countires as they travel around the world. Great for keeping in touch. Couldn’t live without it. Still getting my head around Twitter though….who and how often do I share my thoughts with?

  5. Meghana

    Also, FB has more security settings that Orkut…at least until the last time I checked! Not sure if they have changed that. In FB, you have more options on who can see your photos, wall, comments etc.

  6. Meghana

    Also, FB has more security settings that Orkut…at least until the last time I checked! Not sure if they have changed that. In FB, you have more options on who can see your photos, wall, comments etc.

  7. Gruh Khoj

    Fb is great ……

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