Facebook overtakes Google

Mark it down, students of technology. The week that ended on March 13 signals the first time that internet users spent more time on Facebook than they did on Google. If anyone still wonders why Google clumsily rolled out Google Buzz last month, you have your answer.

The whole game now is about eyeball time. Who can draw the largest number for the longest amount of time. Is the comparison between a search engine and a social networking site a fair one to make? After all, Google rakes in more profit each year than Facebook, as a company, is said to be worth.

True, the companies are not quite direct rivals (notwithstanding Buzz), but as Facebook and Twitter become better integrated, and do more of the same tasks as Google, then ad dollars will start streaming away from Google.

Here is the graph provided by Hitwise, showing Facebook’s steady rise.