Why is Facebook So Easy/Pleasing to Use?

You open your internet browser and go to www.facebook.com. You are only logging onto Facebook to check a message. What comes up is a login screen. Fairly straightforward. You then log in and the homepage pops up, giving you easy access to what your friends are doing, your own page, and anywhere else you want to go in the Facebook world through the search box. Instead of just checking your messages, you end up looking at the pictures your friend uploaded from last night.

                Facebook has become so integrated life that it is sometimes hard to imagine not having Facebook. Facebook is growing at an astounding rate of over 5 million new users per week and a social networking site that used to only attract the age group of 18-24 year olds, is now being used mostly by, 75% that is, all other age groups. But why is Facebook so easy and pleasing to use? Why are so many people jumping on the Facebook bandwagon?

                What Facebook does that other social networks don’t is allow users to create a real digital world. In real life, we join clubs, we make new friends, we talk to these friends, we share pictures, etc. You can do all of this on Facebook. You can plan to attend an event by accepting an event invitation, you can join clubs and groups online, you can chat with your friends while on Facebook and you can browse through friend’s photos.

But why is this better than just doing all of this in real life? I believe it is because of the speed and accessibility that this information age demands. Writing letters is so 1950’s. Today, when our friends go travel the world, we want to stay in touch with them the whole time by Facebook chatting occasionally and viewing photos from their trip that they upload as opposed to doing all of this when they return. Facebook allows people to do their social interactions from the comfort of their home. Although this might not always be the best way to maintain friendships and relationships, it helps keep in touch tremendously and is very convenient.

Why else is Facebook pleasing? The digital world that Facebook has created is a social medium that fosters and inspires communication. While logged onto Facebook, one feels like they are connected with all of their friends even from their own room. From thousands of miles away, you can be involved in real relationships with people through chatting and viewing their updates (pictures, statuses, etc.). Distance and location does not matter. On Facebook, you can be as present in the lives of your friends as you would be while hanging out with them in person.

Facebook is easy to use but why? Facebook has an intuitive interface. You don’t need to know anything about it to figure out how it works.  Everything is very simple, a click of a button away. Adding a friend, posting a comment, liking- it’s just one click.

                In short, Mark Zuckerberg has created a social networking site that is transparent for all types of users. There is something for everyone on Facebook and because so many people are using it, and because it disregards many things that could prevent you from having a relationship with someone in real life (such as distance).