So much for Facebook's supposed falter.
In a new spin on the old East vs. West Coast debate, a Princeton University researchers recently called out Facebook for its dwindling number of users and suggested that the Social Network could lose a steep 80 percent of its users by 2017.
The researchers, however, were more than a bit misguided with their methodology; the Ivy Leaguers based the non-peer-reviewed study off of Google Search data. Facebook fired back in a tongue-in-cheek post of its own, dubbed "Debunking Princeton," which called into question the school's enrollment numbers come 2018.
Further proving the Princetonians wrong is a new social media traffic research unearthed by Boston content discovery startup Shareaholic.
The Social Network and Pinterest are leading the pack when it comes to total traffic – direct traffic, social referrals, organic search, paid searchs, etc. – over the course of the past four months, according to the company's findings.
Facebook saw the strongest gain in traffic out of the top eight social media platforms since September 2013, with growth of around 49 percent and up five percent from that of Q3. In second place, Pinterest saw a 30 percent uptick in traffic but only up 1 percent from that of Q3.
Noted Shareaholic:
Facebook holds the top spot in the social referrals rankings. Last month, this behemoth of a social network drove more than twice the referrals all 7 of the other social media platforms sent to sites, combined.
Potentially adding more insult to injury, Zuck is booked to announce Facebook's Q4 and 2013 Full Year Earnings come this week.
Take that, Princeton.
Image via Uptown Tree House
