farmdevil.net

I know I haven’t posted in a long long time and I have had a few complaints regarding that matter. So I figured I had such a good rant on Facebook the other day (it has been described as almost scholarly) that I would post it on here too. Also you may notice that I have finally updated the biography page to actually reflect what I am currently doing and I have modified the blogroll a bit. Enjoy.

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So there has been some debate lately about recent additions to Facebook.

Back in the good old days, Facebook and MySpace weren’t very similar at all. They both filled different niches in the large market that is the internet. Now we have seen their cultures converge. I think it’s for the worse.

Aside from the fact that it looks like it was designed in crayon by a six-year old and the usability is even worse, MySpace is a place for people who need to feel comfort in the fact that 116 of their closest friends care about their mundane, day-to-day activities. It is a blog with an attached community.

I have no problem with blogs in theory. I have a blog. But two notes about my blog:
1. It is hosted on regular web hosting so I have complete control over design and features. This makes it an art form in addition to a tool.
2. Back when I did update it (8 months ago?) it wasn’t to advertise my every move. It was a place for me to write about my travels and various observations about life.

Facebook used to be for people like me who travel alot or go to college out of state and need a convenient place to keep tabs on their friends. I have some friends on facebook that I rarely look up unless I am about to travel to their respective state. It was a tool to assist in maintaining one’s network. It did not include a blog. It didn’t advertise users’ minute-to-minute actions. But the point I want to make is more important than the actual technology and features. I think that the culture of facebook has changed for the worse, and it has become worthy of some of the same criticism I used to reserve for MySpace.

On a slightly different note (but still on the topic of culture), Facebook has become a replacement for real friendships. People act like being facebook friends eliminates the need to maintain a friendship. Also if you were really friends with somebody, would you need to have a limited profile to block your screenname or pics (they aren’t allowed to be dirty anyways)? If you are writing it on the internet, it’s as good as public anyway. I would feel better if the tables were turned. If notes were available to nobody and then only were available to those that you selected, I would be fine with it because then it is a move to allow and not exclude. People seem to think that they hold great power in the ability to limit access and to delete friends. In a friendship there should be no sense of “power” or games. If there is a need to limit access or delete a friend, either you should learn to pick your friends better or you are being an asshole. We should all reflect on what it really means to be a friend.

I should wrap up by saying that with my web design and usability background I am qualified to express some of these opinions, however they are still opinions. Also the preceding text includes many generalizations. Not everybody who uses MySpace is vain. Not everybody on Facebook makes a lousy friend. Take this as a rant and maybe reflect a little. That is all.

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Now on Facebook there has been some discussion in the comments. I have conceded that MySpace was not the way I describe it at inception, but it has grown to be that way. Also we can’t forget about LiveJournal when criticizing online cultures.