This morning, on my way to work, I listened to a story about Facebook "unveiling a new messaging platform." This new platform strives to bring together numerous modes of communication - texting, email, chats - into one inbox. It seems that Mr. Zuckerberg wants to seamlessly incorporate all modes of online communication in one easy to find area. He is quoted as saying, "We don't think a modern messaging system is going to be e-mail" and goes on to say that he believes people will "forego lengthy e-mail conversations in favor of shorter, more immediate chats."
What you must realize first and foremost with almost all free Internet sites is that the only way they make money is through advertisements. If a site is able to retain your attention for a longer time period, that means you are exposed to advertisements for a longer span of time. I know what many of you are saying right now - "I don't even read the advertisements!" But, what you don't know is that you really do. Your conscious mind does not take the time to read every word of an ad, but your unconscious mind does see the ad and at least gloss over it. Advertising has always preyed upon the unconscious mind. Zuckerberg's plan of streamlining communication methods within Facebook is just another way to give his company more time to latch upon your psyche. I am sure that enabling further communication is important to Zuckerberg, but he does run a profitable business that must compete against the giant that is Google. No matter how new additions to Facebook are marketed, they are always going to be tools to help Facebook profit.
Sadly, most Facebook users do not even think about Facebook as a business. Most users think about Facebook as a cool way to keep in touch with friends. I have tried to get the whole Facebook thing. I have tried to understand why people are so enthralled with a screen that shows tiny pictures of "friends" with short messages about their lives. I have tried and failed. I have a Facebook page but I just don't get it. I check Facebook maybe once or twice a month and I quickly leave the site soon after I log on. Perhaps I just don't like people enough to want to read all about the details of their lives. Perhaps I just like to spend my time doing other things that require me to NOT sit in front of a computer. Either way, my quest to understand Facebook has been fruitless.
Until I remembered something from my childhood...When cell phones first became popular and affordable my cousin quickly purchased one. Almost every night he would call my house so my dad could "talk him home." I don't quite know what he did on his drive home before he got that phone but afterward he spent almost all of the drive talking to friends and family. When given the tools to communicate, can we not stop ourselves from reaching out to our fellow man? Is Zuckerberg just profiting off of one of our basic human instincts?
We may never know the true motivations for the creation of innovations that become so integral in our lives. But, one thing we can know is how much we let these innovations change who we become as a society. If communication between human beings is so essential, than perhaps tools like Facebook make us better and stronger. But, if the quality of said communication (think about the quote earlier "shorter, more immediate chats") is what counts, then tools like Facebook are most certainly working against us.
17 comments:
I am one of those people who always ignore the ads on the side of facebook, yet every once in awhile I will notice that I am reading one. Also, facebook takes your interests and matches them up with the ads to further get your attention. I think that people are so fascinated with facebook just because they like seeing what everyone else around them is doing. They like knowing whats going on with their friends that they might have missed before. I think that facebook helps us communicate long distances but should not be used in substitution for other forms of communication like actually talking to someone in person.
Like you mentioned in the post, many of us don't notice Facebook is such a huge business and that is very sad. Facebook is one of the fastest and largest growing business in the world, from small advertisements to work resumes, facebook is slowly taking over everything we do. I think it is ridiculous how they are trying to switch everything to shorter smaller chats, so we will be exposed to even more ads, and allowing their business to prosper. I don't agree with this mostly because I myself am not a great fan of facebook, I simply use it as a tool, nowadays some teachers even require you to add them so they can use it as an agenda, but I don't agree with the manner of making money from people being social.
I completely ignore ads. Or I should say I try my best to! I find them so pointless and annoying (especially the pop up ones!). But every once in a while one will catch my eye. I use facebook daily and I never noticed how much of a buisness it really is. I think that Mr. Zuckerberg is a very smart man to change an essential human trait into a buisness. On the other hand though I do find that innovations such as Fcaebook have changed society. It has changed from " I'll page you later." to "I'll message you on Facebook."
I dont think that sites like Facebook and texting are really hurting our communication. I understand that these websites are pretty much pointless, but fast and interactive conversations, like instant messaging, are more proactive then lengthy emails. I think that emails don't really allow you to engage in a conversation, you can only ask questions and say statements and once thats done, you must wait for you email to read and then for it to be answered. Fast communication allows humans to speak as if the conversation was in real life which is more effective and progressive.
anaWoah! You have some radical feelings about facebook. I've personally always seen facebook as nothing more than a business tool rather than a communication system. But, then again, isn't business about communication? You have to admit that facebook, apart from being a billion dollar company, it's a complex, massive, and successful business metropolis. Facebook hosts advertisements from major companies worldwide. Most facebook users may not see this, but that doesn't really cause a negative or positive effect on them. They log on to communicate, and they do. Business logs on to sell products, and they do. It's a win in both sides.
I agree that facebook should not be used in place of just talking to someone. I understand if people use it to communicate little things between friends but not if it’s pretty much the only form of communication that they use. I’m not a big fan of facebook and I don’t really understand the point of it either. I don’t like facebook so I tend not to go on all that much, but I never realized that there were so many ads on facebook before and that’s how they made their profit.
Facebook is dominating the internet scene, and I have come to take notice of this. I was unaware though that they receive profits from advertisements they post on their site. I have noticed these advertisements before, but have not particularly looked at them more closely. In AP Psych, we are currently learning about subliminal advertisements and their unconscious effects upon humans and their decision-making process. What most people don't know is that although we don't look into these advertisements in detail, they still can influence our thoughts and decisions in everyday life. For example, if there is an ad promoting a fragrance or similar consumer product, they might include an attractive model to advertise the item. Unconsciously, we may go pick up that perfume the next day at the store and might even remember the model in the ad, which enforces our decision to buy it. But back to the subject of Facebook, it stands to be a primary communication tool throughout society today. Within the near future, its use may even become more popular and common. But as you stated, it can easily be misused and can negatively affect society in the end.
I think all Zuckerburg gets out of Facebook is money. Whereas, us addictive users gain so much more-friends, laziness, and in some cases confidence. I hate how people find it so much easier to talk through a screen than talking face to face.
As for the ads, I believe advertisers but a great deal of thought and their knowledge of psychology into their billboards and pop-ups. If they use a bright, vibrant color, you are much more likely to glance at the add if they advertiser would have chosen a dull, mundane color.
In many ways Facebook can be considered to be both a bad thing and a good thing. However, I am one of the few teenagers that feel that Facebook and other online chat websites is a bad thing for our society, especially my generation of people. For the most part, Facebook just restricts you from the rest of your life. It keeps you from getting things done because of the tempting aspects of these sites which intrigue people. In many ways this is why Zuckerburg is so successful with Facebook. I, on the other hand, hardly ever go on these sites. I find that they are just a complete waste of time.
Another thing about Facebook, and all similar sites, is that it is restricting our communication skills. Although it might allow us to communicate more regularly, it also restricts us from being use to talking straight to people’s faces. I think this is the main reason why my peers these days are so commonly timid, having trouble to speak in front of a group of people. It is truly sad, in some ways, to see the effects of Facebook. I hope that people can try to restrict the amount of time they spend on these sites, and continue to get more use to discussing things with other people in person. If we can do this together than we will not have to worry about the influence of these sites on our future generations of people.
As far as the advertisements go I don't even notice them all the time. However, when I do see them I notice a common trend of the types of advertisements. I notice they are geared to my specific interests. This proves how Facebook really is a marketing tool. Facebook definitely has its pros and cons. The good thing about it is how brief and fast the communication is. My mom was just saying when there was that possibility of a hurricane or another major event that people are unsure of, she could never communicate so broadly with everyone she knows when she was a kid. The cons would definitely be that it can consume your life. Some people are addicted to checking everyone’s statuses every 2 seconds and commenting on it. This is truly sad that they don't have anything better to do. When I get on Facebook it really consumes you and it’s easy to lose track of the time.
I fear that facebook is going to take over the world.
I don't admire zuckerberg because I feel like he just got lucky with this whole facebook thing, but man do I envy him, I really wish I was one the youngest billionairs in the world.
I have always noticed the growing amount of ads on the side of the website, but don't think much about them. If I do see them, I don't see them as a bad thing. It is just someone trying to make business. I am one of those people that don't look forward to having a lot of money, but rather just have a relaxing, easy life doing what I love. Be it sport or a job that interests me, I would be happy because money is not my top priority. However, if this is what makes these people happy, I don't mind them placing ads like they do. We are all just trying to achieve what we want.
The main thing when addressing facebook to me is remembering someone’s birthday, but that’s me. You stated at the end of this blog, that is it hindering us or giving us more pros, now I think they can both be agreed upon the same way you ask a person if they are democratic or republican, even if they are Jewish or Christian, it’s the same base line question it all falls under what that person knows and what that person is willing to learn, facebook as an example is another means to communication and just like anything in the world, anything that is over done is bad, facebook should be used properly and not extensively to the point when it become’s in your words “against us”
I think facebook and texting is better than e-mails. This is because e-mails can take forever to answer because not everyone checks their email everyday. I would be frustrated if I didnt get an answer after a couple days. That is why I like texting and facebook. The only reason why I dislike it is because I feel that people are less social and feel more comfortable socializing by messages instead of in person. This is my only problem with facebook.
Facebook is useful way to stay in touch with family members. Unfortunately many people use Facebook as a major communication source. There are cases that people feel more comfortable talking through Facebook than in real life. The pop-up ads are extremely annoying. I just cancel them when I get them cause I don’t want to even bother wasting my time.
I don't pay much attention to the ads. I'm not sure why, but I think it might come from the fact that I believe that clicking on anything else that I don't need to click on will give me a virus. I do understand that advertisements fund Facebook and make Mr. Zuckerberg the affluent man he is today. I just think the whole era of Pop-up ads ruined all hope for successful, consumer-friendly advertisements.
I have to admit that whenever I see an add, I am tempted to click on it. This excludes the pop-ads though, I hate those. The reason I don't click on those is because they piss me off, but not because I'm not interested. I don't know what it is about ads, but they always catch my eye right away and I feel this urge to click on it. Although, I may not always click on them, I do take the time to skim over them and see what they are.
I do feel like Facebook is hurting communication. Many people feel much more better talking to others through a computer rather than face to face. Many teens can't wait to get home and see who's connected to start chatting witht them, but my question is, why can't they talk to them personally? Technology is so advanced that many people have Facebook on their phone and they use this as a resource to stay connected to it, and "isolate" themselves from society.
Post a Comment