Study finds the average Facebook user would take $1,000 to deactivate their account

We’re all aware of how much time social media takes up in our daily lives, but would we be willing to pay for the universally free-of-charge experience (and one that may soon be sporting a stablecoin?) A recent study published in PLOS One tried to establish the true value of Facebook to its users. Instead of trying to estimate an agreeable subscription fee granting access to the platform, the researchers focused on what it would take for an active user to deactivate their account. As it turns out, the average user’s limit could exceed $1,000 per year.

The study based on a series of non-hypothetical auction experiments where the highest bidders would be paid to deactivate their Facebook account for a set period of time. While the reasoning for the required amounts offered by subjects was diverse, most of them showed a degree of dependence on the social platform, both socially and professionally.

Researchers stressed in their findings that the amount does not represent the fee Facebook could logistically charge its users, as doing so would likely cause the emergence of a free-of-charge competitor service. Instead, the average $1,000 should represent the benefits users still seem to gain from using the platform.