is the number of photos I’ve seen since I made my Facebook account.
I got my first invitation for Facebook around Summer 2007. Then, being already a member of Myspace and Hi5, I just ignored it. I was like WTF, ANOTHER social network. After receiving literally dozens of invites from ALL of my email contacts, I decided to accept near January 2008, finding myself deactivating my account just some hours later, unable to understand shit of how this thing worked. (in my defense back in 2008 the Facebook interface had NOTHING to do with today’s one.)
I don’t remember how or why, but I reactivated some weeks later, finding my email inbox stuffed with Facebook notifications about applications and news and alerts and you name it.
Within months Facebook was all over the press, the media – online or offline -.
Today, noone knows exactly the reasons Facebook went from an outsider to a major social networks player. There have been some thoughts:
- It’s clean look, unlike Hi5 and Myspace who with their “customized” pages made the User Experience impossible.
- The innovation of applications which enabled interaction between users with several different new ways, unlike other networks “messaging-based” and “comments-based” system.
- Facebook’s character as more Friendly-casual and less “dating” oriented.
- Facebook’s controlled friendships, avoiding having massive friends lists who ended up being just a collection of total strangers.
- Real First Name and Last Name registration.
That’s some of the stuff I recall being talked to the blog universe.
Personally, it’s been some time now I have started to question Facebook’s need and methods:
- Facebook’s applications are being used and then abandoned some days after by users
- User interaction has again returned to messaging and chatting
- Friendships are going massive. Facebook system suggests you being friends with anyone that you happen to have one or two common friends with, or just likes the same movie or music band as you do
- Many questions around user’s private data, Facebook licencing etc
A great thing that Facebook was praised for was the EVERYONE HAS IT hype! Heck, I have found literally ALL my Elementary/College/High school classmates over there! and few hours after adding them and browsing their profiles and photo albums, I realized:
I don’t really give a damn …!
Let’s face it: If you would like to keep contact with someone, you don’t need any web application to help you do so! You got older and more solid inventions: Emails - Mobile Phones
By today, most of Facebook’s average users have ended up with a contact list 80% of it is people you have no interest in talking to. With the remaining 20% you prefer to use more reliable, direct apps, like Skype, MSN or Google Talk..
And THE PHOTOS. Oh gosh. I mean, I have done it too, I admit it. But seriously it’s getting really annoying.
I don’t wanna act like a PURIST or anything, but I have a natural DISGUST, CARVED in my genes, about BIG TRENDS. I DESPISE them. A big part of Facebook’s success is massive digital cameras. Endless photos were staying dusty in large Hard Disk Drives, (since their enormous file sizes stopped people from even mailing them), and all of a sudden Facebook came to the rescue.
People nowadays go on a trip, clubbing, or everywhere, and their only worry is TAKE AS MANY PHOTOS AS POSSIBLE TO PUT THEM ONLINE. (and show-off) Needless to say that since most of the people are photograph-amateurs (myself included) most of the photos just plain suck, or are just boring and uninteresting. (since as we said they come from the 80% of our dead-contacts/friendships). I mean, if you haven’t done something REALLY wild why should I see it. “This is me on the stairs”. “This is me after drinking and looking like shit”. “This is me and my friends” “This is me at xxxx <insert random popular place>”
And to all those people, I have to remind that there was a time when Internet users were EXTREMELY picky to the websites they would use their real names to. And nowaydays you just put not only your FACE but also your FULL NAME being tagged doing stuff that many times you wished noone would know about.
My two cents
