Like most ubiquitous aspects of modern day life, many people enjoy complaining about Facebook. Granted, this usually happens on Facebook, but we're all guilty of it. From 'too many selfies' to 'I don't speak to people on there in real life', everyone has a reason to dislike the world's pre-eminent social media channel. Indeed, all the recent talk about Ello has made the point about Facebook fatigue.
Yet it seems that despite this, most people in the UK don't plan to quit Facebook, at least anytime soon. Havas PR has commissioned its latest YouGov SixthSense report looking at corporate social responsibility marketing. More than 2,000 people across the UK were asked about levels of trust in social media channels, compared to traditional media.
It found that nine percent of people in the UK expect to have left Facebook in two years' time, a strong result considering the rise in alternative channels and instant message apps.
The reason for this could be that Facebook has grown as a source of local news and trust, as 27% of people within communities named Facebook as their top source for news, a 5 point percentage rise on 2013.
Trust in Facebook is up from 19% to 21%, with trust in Twitter up one percentage point to 15%. Local newspapers are trusted by 64%, with local TV and radio at 58% and 58% respectively. National newspapers scored just 27% in comparison, with national TV at 43%.
This rise in Facebook as a news platform is likely explained by an increased average age demographic and shows that community pages and 'top posts' are working to create a more real-time Facebook experience.
While there's no doubting the importance of local print media, social media is making its way into a position of more influence locally and brands need to be ready to adapt as competition for consumer time intensifies. The data shows that producing content which can be tailored for local audiences has a better chance of building trust in a brand.
The report also looked at what they people define as their community, how they feel private companies should support them, how they hear about CSR works, and whether local good deeds by companies influence their spending decisions.
According to the YouGov Sixth Sense results, supermarkets head the list when it comes to types of business favoured for community involvement. Banks come in second place, with this figure (50%) up on 2013 suggesting that the sector may be beginning to distance itself from the reputational damage of the last few years.
Respondents of the survey also fired a warning for brands over which areas of local communities they did not welcome their involvement in. Education and health were deemed areas not to get involved with, both scoring 51%. Local sponsorship by brands is welcomed, by 73% of people.
Local charities also receive more support than national ones, with research showing (43%) of people support a charity they deem to be local to them, compared to 27% backing national charities. This indicates national charities need to work hard to illustrate the effect they have on local areas.
As for those who get involved in their local community, the report found that typically, those who are very active in their local community are most likely to live in a large city, with rural dwellers less likely to play an active role in community life. This is somewhat against the traditional 'village community' mentality often portrayed in the media - although it would probably ruin most of the premise of Midsummer Murders.
This gives the impression that we live in a country of urban-community minded people, who increasingly get their local news from Facebook and have very clear ideas of what they see as acceptable support from organisations.
So you may say 'Ello' for now, but the chances are consumers will be sticking to Facebook for the foreseeable future.