The internet is full of it. Social networks are spilling over with comments. The debate on capital punishment? The latest reflections on the state of the Euro? No – it’s actually the changes which have been made to Facebook.
I’ve noticed a lot of people commenting – on Facebook – to protest against the recent changes, which have largely been seen as a response to the ‘threat’ posed by Google+. Facebook has amended the way the news feed works, as well as making the feel of the platform different with updated icons and layouts.
It’s interesting the passion people have for this social networking tool. One of the most resounding points for me is that people seem less worried by their ability to interact with people than they are by having the platform in a familiar format. I don’t particularly feel that I’ve lost out on the chance to see what my mates are up to, to share photos or generally enjoy what I normally do when using Facebook. But maybe I’m missing the point here.
It gets me thinking about our possessive approach to TV shows. People are often quite passionate about the programmes that are broadcast on the BBC. It’s an institution – and for many it stands as one of the few such enduringly good British examples – so do we feel an emotional connection to it? The cynic might point out that as you pay a licence fee, you’re clearly going to have a view on what your money gets you.
I don’t remember such heated debates over the programming on other channels, which to all intents and purposes are free (driven by advertising). Is it because they’re free, because we have less of an emotional attachment, or are our expectations just different? I’m inclined to say it’s because the Beeb – comprising the channels, the website, the DVDs and so on – serves as something of a hub for our multifaceted interests.
So back to Facebook. It’s a hub in so many ways, but it’s also a completely free tool. We pay nothing and get a lot from it (unless you loaded up credit card details into Farmville) – so why are we complaining? Well, at the end of the day it’s not a philanthropic project. Facebook isn’t running for the benefit of good karma. The fact is that as members of the 750million-strong user community, we are the reason that it has seen market valuations in the region of $50bn. No one seems yet to be quite sure whether that’s even vaguely appropriate – who am I to question sentiment on the stock market – but at the very least, Facebook’s ad revenue and applications are pretty decent revenue generators from what I’ve read.
And here is the crucial point. The success of those is completely reliant on us – the users. So maybe we do have the right to moan and grumble about the changes. Facebook is trying to protect itself from the Google threat, but has seriously risked alienating some of its loyal following. Surely if Facebook wants to remain the belle of the social media ball, it needs to be smart about its most precious asset – users.
For my part, I’ll be sticking with Facebook for now. My friends and photos are on there, despite the changes it works, and like so many other people – much to Facebook’s advantage – now I’m there I just can’t be bothered to change. Ironic that the saviour of a site which relies entirely on people being proactive to generate its value may be apathy.
Nice blog
Check this out:
http://thesocialmuser.blogspot.com/2011/09/how-i-feel-about-new-facebook-in.html