I plan to write a number of entries on the cultural phenomenon that is Facebook.com. Beyond the recreational and utilitarian aspects of the site, I find it to be sociologically and psychologically fascinating. I hope to discuss interesting matters about a site that is so heavily used, but, as I find, rarely spoken about.
This thought has to do with the long term effects that Facebook will produce. I was looking at a friend's page the other day, who happened to have been a member since 2005. As I was flipping through his photos, I was actually able to see feature development, style changes etc, I really saw him grow-up, and it got me thinking.
I don't believe Facebook is just a trend that will fizzle out within the next few years, I think it has staying power like Yahoo and Ebay. People are pretty loyal to the pages they have constructed, and the longer one uses it, the less inclined he or she will be to de-activate it. People get engaged, married, and have kids, and still use the social networking wonder site. People don't grow out of it, adults are using the site more and more.
So now, imagine what your Facebook page will look like in 20 years. Imagine being able to look at 20 years of photos of yourself and your friends and the incredibly detailed record you have of your life. Photo albums of old, would capture occasions and vacations, but Facebook photos are so casual, constant, and plentiful (for many).
Usually predictions about the future are pretty vague. Can you really imagine flying cars and robot friends? Will these inventions ever materialize? But I think it to be fascinating to try to picture what your Facebook page (assuming there are no major changes...like virtual reality flying internet)in 20 years. Perhaps we can even view Facebook as a yard stick of progress.
What do we WANT our pages to look like in 20 years? How many of our hundreds of friends will be meaningful relationships? What kind of person do we want our pictures to portray? Perhaps you can get a good sense of yourself, where you've been and where you are by analyzing your own Facebook profile.
2 comments:
in which case you are treating facebook as a diary or scrapbook. i tend to take the opposing view, where facebook is indeed a trend, and will eventually be replaced by something bigger, better, and in style (see: myspace). but in the short term, i agree - it is like a very well-organized look into someone's mind
i love combo
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