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Taking breaks from Facebook? New study shows you're not alone

Taking breaks from Facebook? New study shows you're not alone

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Mark Zuckerberg Facebook Stock
Mark Zuckerberg Facebook Stock

Have human beings finally had their fill of Facebook? Probably not, but a new report from Pew Research Center suggests that plenty are at least taking breaks from the social network — 61 percent of 1,006 people surveyed, to be exact. How long these hiatuses last tends to vary, with some caving after just days and the more strong-willed among us managing to stay away for several weeks. As for why Facebook users are feeling the urge to split with the service, 21 percent claim they simply don't have enough time in their daily lives to keep up with their news feed. Ten percent of respondents exhibited a waning (or nonexistent) interest in the service, although eight percent admitted to devoting too much time to the site.

Even so, 69 percent of those polled plan to spend the same amount of time on Facebook in 2013 as they did last year, so the company doesn't exactly need to worry about a mass exodus on the horizon. Though if you've somehow avoided Mark Zuckerberg's empire until now, odds are good you're determined to keep it that way. Only eight percent of people who aren't yet affiliated with Facebook say they plan to sign up.