Facebook loses nearly 6 million members in May …

… Magnus Hoglund, CEO of Law360.com who has worked on digital media companies for several years, told the U.K.’s Guardian that the new numbers don’t bode well for the site. 

“From my experience, I get the sense that being on Facebook is not cool anymore,” Hoglund said. “The early adopters and trend-setters are moving away. [But] these are also exactly the type of people brand advertisers want to reach; if they are leaving, it doesn’t look good for Facebook.”

I feel like this is probably true. I don’t think fb is going down any time in the next few years just because it is so big. That said these digital cultural tides tend to shift faster and heavier than other, more terrestrial cultural changes. I can’t help but think of MySpace here as a clear example of how easily a king can be knocked off the hill. Sure, facebook is a little different in that it did a lot to present itself almost as an alternative to the scary web, acting as a small window to what the web as well as ego-friendly web identity has to offer in a nice, tidy package: a large self-sustaining social island in the web’s digital sea. That model probably still has some appeal. But there are tens if not hundreds of millions of examples of great, rich content out in the huge ocean to be found, freely explored, and appreciated. Many content providers were willing to build mini mirrors of their identities so they could have real estate in facebook’s world but doing so severely limits freedom and creativity. Do you fancy living in a residential complex with a steep landscaping covenant and only 3 neutral colors you’re allowed to paint your house? There is safety and convenience in such living but it isn’t for everyone. Then there’s the effort to consider. Just ask any company trying to manage an eCommerce model within Facebook. It’s like building a chain of banks in the Old West.

There is a more flexible online social model somewhere in-between. Perhaps Google+. I don’t know yet but it could be both a place for people who fear putting their identity afloat upon the great sea as well as a place for people who love to set sail the vast digital ocean, exploring all the frontiers the web cosmos has to offer. G+ may have the foundation and innovative capacity to be the next disruptive force in the social landscape. And if so, someday it will also fall away to the next alternative.

It is the predictable, cyclical fate of all kings. Just ask Microsoft.