What Social Vacuum does Facebook Fill?

Another way of phrasing this question is, “What would we do without Facebook?” Many young adults, and even some tech savvy baby boomers and Generation X-ers, might baulk at the notion of a world without Facebook. And for all the easy-to-use features the 2010 version of Facebook provides, it’s no wonder why the social network makes life more convenient. Yet what intrinsic characteristics does Facebook possess whose absence would inconvenience its users if it were to disappear? In this blog post I will address the following questions: What lifestyle changes or habit alterations would users undergo in the absence of their favorite cyber social network? What would be the opportunity costs of alternatives to Facebook (e.g. time spent picking up the telephone or writing a letter)?

It is undeniable that since Facebook has accrued so many millions of users, it has become a superior vehicle for keeping in touch with friends and family, especially with those whom we don’t see very much or on whose virtual wall we would rather write than call. In this way, Facebook is also a superior social lubricant. The seemingly awkward phone calls or text messages to old high school friends are eased by this widely accepted medium for cursory hello’s and how are you’s. Fastened to the concept of the Facebook network is a general sentiment of temporariness and informality. It has become a veritable fast food version of now antediluvian forms of communication. Not only does Facebook provide a faster and more comprehensive means of communication, it allows its users to forego alternative media that might put them in awkward or uncomfortable situations.

On a most basic level, Facebook keeps its users “connected.” It begins by making the communication process easier by providing an internet-based medium that can be easily accessed whether one is checking email or finishing a project for work. In the absence of the network, consumers would be forced to multitask with multiple media, possibly endangering the integrity and quality of their composite tasks by splitting their attention among them. Additionally, mistakes and/or modes of multitasking not associated with Facebook could be more time consuming. In recent months, Facebook has added a variety of features that makes multitasking within the network simpler. Facebook Chat, an instant messaging feature in the lower corner of one’s profile, allows for instant connection to Friends, expediting the Message or Wall options by linking the user in real time to their communication recipient. The Poke feature (to be covered in-depth in another post) offers a unique option for communication that requires a single click of a button to let the recipient know you’re thinking about them or might like to communicate further in the future. The unique aforementioned features prove that Facebook truly is a social network. The Friend lists and Search options Facebook provides instantly antiquate phonebooks, address books, and rolodexes.

From personal experience, Facebook is also a money saver. With the recent increases in postage costs, resulting in more frequent email and social network usage, it is more costly to send letters or packages than to simply send a Facebook message or post on a friend’s wall. Particularly among students entering into college, Facebook provides an easy and free way to keep in touch with family and friends that might be states or continents away. Expensive international phone calls and postage are replaced by Messages, Photo album comments, Facebook chat, etc. Leading in to my next post, the Facebook generation has rapidly capitalized upon the time- and money-saving features the network provides, rendering many other communication media obsolete and clearing the way for new innovations.