Why is Facebook so polarizing?
If you mention the word, “Facebook” within a conversation, what are the chances that nobody will respond?
In fact, if you insert yourself into a crowd of people (who are strangers) and ask, “I’ve heard some things about Facebook. What do you guys think of it?” you will not be greeted with absolutely no response. (I’m assuming that this group of people understands the language that you speak, by the way.)
Facebook seems to be a polarizing topic. There does not seem to be a whole lot of lukewarm feelings about it. People either LOVE it, or they HATE it.
Why do people LOVE it?
People can find people within their past easily. People can “socialize” without committing a lot of time, if they don’t want. People can always find other people who just want to kill time, if they want. Nobody is ever lonely on Facebook.
It’s a great marketing tool. It’s easy to broadcast what you’re trying to sell or sponsor. It allows people to mix buisness with pleasure, although some people seem to do this with a bit more class than others.
There are games to keep you occupied. I’ve never played any of them, but from the number of people I know who are addicted, they’re probably really good.
They sort of teach people a little how to be more tech savvy. This is done in the sort of way that playing a sport is fun…and just happens to be exercise, too. Where taking classes to learn Internet skills are more akin to going to an exercise class; you know it’s good for you, but if there weren’t any obvious, targeted benefits, you probably would not be doing that. Facebook allows people to learn about a lot of things (topical and internet oriented) while having fun.
It’s also a great way for a business starting on a shoestring to create a high-ranking, powerful site for free. So many pepole use it, you become so visible so quickly.
Why do people HATE it?
You basically lose nearly ALL of your privacy. True, you can adjust your “Privacy” settings. However, it’s easy to mix business and pleasure, but it’s not easy to separate them within Facebook. It IS the anti-Las Vegas. What goes on the Internet largely STAYS on the Internet. That can be good, but….
It is easy to waste a lot of time. The Internet already provides all sorts of time-wasting distractions. Facebook seems to take this to another level. There are always people you want to find. There are people who you don’t want to contact, but you’re curious how they look today or how they’re doing. There are games to play. Like I mentioned earlier, these games must be good since so many people are addicted to them.
There seems to be sort of peer pressure that is different yet similar to what I remember experiencing in high school. There are people who really are your friends in real life, and they want to be friends on Facebook. There are people who would NEVER be friends with you in real life, but they request your friendship. How snooty of you to consider rejecting them, but there is an obvious argument in favor of it, too. What if you’re not on Facebook often enough? What if you aren’t providing enough updates that people want to see? Where are those photos? Why did you post THAT photo? It all seems very clique-ish to me.
You are almost forced to advertise on Facebook because of peer pressure from your customers. If you don’t use it, many people will assume that you don’t have enough Internet skills to provide them the service that they want. In fact, some people communicate EXCLUSIVELY on Facebook. If you’re not on there, you’ll miss these people.
The Basic Question
So is Facebook a good or a bad thing? I say you’re right, and I haven’t even heard your answer, yet?
What do you guys think? What is it about Facebook that brings so much emotion from people, to the point of being offended if you don’t agree–sort of like religion for many people.
