The only thing I could think of why Facebook app is draining battery, because it's running in the background. That means Facebook is doing something other than just a social app. The possibilities are endless if the app is constantly running in the background monitor every activity of the user.
Or, much like the rest of Facebook, it's a steaming pile of...
I guess you were trying to use it a certain way. Try others maybe? I find it valuable for keeping in touch with friends who moved away, very easy to see where they're up to and vice versa.
Edit: seems like a lot of people got rid of it! I wonder if others considered using it differently, like image sharing amongst distant friends and messaging. You don't need to do status feeds, people
Oh, for sure, it has it's usefulness. It's also good for very targeted marketing. The problem is that it's very design will end up being it's demise, which will eventually kill off your use-case, or make it so painful you'll move to some alternative.
Facebook has made a decision to make the interaction as friction-free as possible...
BTW - for those that have elected to discontinue use of Facebook, or those that are contemplating discontinuation, the following short video may be of interest...
Actually, they made the decision to make it more crack-like (the drug), but I get what you're saying. It's designed so if you don't stay on it and constantly keep up with it, it's not useful. I log in now and then to post articles (a lot of folks just automate that), and to check on a small group of friends who haven't figured out how to use more civilized communication methods. So, I probably won't delete my account, but I'm far from their ideal user.
And, so long as there are real users using it, they've created a pretty effective finely targeted marketing platform (again, that is, so long as there are real users there, which might not be all that much longer, as you've pointed out).
But, also be aware that all these 'brain changing' studies don't necessarily mean what they claim. The brain is a physical storage device for the mind, so any time you change the input and behavior, of course there will be a difference expressed in the makeup of the storage. Drawing conclusions from that is pretty meaningless though. That's better left to the psychologists.
Here's a tip, if you must use AOL, er I mean Facebook (like you're running a business and need a presence) open Facebook in Safari in p0rn, er I mean private mode. No need for the app at all.
No kidding! As a website developer, I'm constantly fighting this idea that Facebook is a website. Sure, it's a site on the Web, but it's much more akin to AOL or CompuServe than what we now know as a website. Heck, Facebook has even been trying to setup 'Internet' access in various countries, where by 'Internet' it means Facebook. Yikes!