In my last post, I stated the following: Facebook allows its users quick and simple communication on a pleasant interface with millions upon millions of fellow users and the ability to individualize one’s profile information.
I looked at the “quick and simple” idea pertaining to Facebook, as well as the loss of legitimacy and sincerity in social communication since the onset of the internet and social networking websites.
In this second part, I would like to take a look at the “pleasant interface” portion of my previous summarizing statement. My first question: What makes people choose Facebook over other means of communication, particularly with so many options available since the onset of the internet? My second question: Do people really prefer getting a Facebook message than receiving a letter in the mail or getting a phone call? Linked to this second question is another: Have the tastes of people changed since the onset of social networking sites concerning how they would prefer to communicate (regardless of the time and money factor)?
To answer the first question, I believe it is the visual simplicity of Facebook that has garnered it so many users. The previous social networking fad involved Myspace. Myspace allowed its users to completely personalize their profiles, from the themed background to the music played when one viewed their profiles. Many users were complaining about how “messy” Myspace profiles were, and when Facebook took the web by storm, found it a much-needed relief for the eyes and ears. Many believed this early competition between Myspace and Facebook (no longer much of a competition with the raging popularity and user-friendly features of the latter network) split online network users into two categories. The first, the diehard Myspace users, were rebellious, middle-to-low socioeconomic class members with questionable morals and little regard for how others perceived them. This character profile seemed to fit well with the “messy” and tawdry atmosphere Myspace provided for its user population. The second, the burgeoning Facebook users, were mid-to-high socioeconomic class members (preparatory high school and private university students) who saw the social network as a clean slate with which they could build a professional appearance for friends, family, and coworkers to view. The next amusing question is, could a letter really say all this about a person? Could a piece of paper possibly profile its users socioeconomic status, goals and aspirations? The obvious answer is no. The contents of a letter showcase only what its writer wants to reveal. When Myspace and Facebook were at the peak of their networking rivalry, siding with one site over the other (regardless of the content on your profile), appeared to bombard you with stereotypes and stigmas: the boorish Myspace teenager and the yuppie Facebook young adult.
To answer the second question, one has to look at the idea of sentimentality and the appreciation of being appreciated. These days, emails and social networking means of communication are so ubiquitous that letters offer a sentimental and old-fashioned value to its receiver. If one asks a 13-20-year-old what they would prefer to receive, it’s a difficult question for him or her to answer. By the time most people in this age bracket had the desire to communicate with others at a distance, the internet was their first and foremost option. Before this generation, the telephone would have been the foremost option until about the 1940s-50s, when we see letters as the most common form of distance interpersonal communication. From here, it depends on the individual. If the person receiving the letter prefers the personalized quality and “thoughtfulness” characteristic of writing and posting a letter, then the letter would be the obvious preference. But if the individual has little patience of time for “material” mail, then emails and social networking sites would more often than not fulfill their interpersonal communication needs. Additionally, with the onset of “green” living situations, people prefer to cutback on paper consumption and see electronic communication as healthier for the planet and generally less wasteful. And, as with any matter of opinion, there are those would prefer both. Some might utilize Facebook or other online communication media for “everyday” uses, such as business and quick chatting with friends and family, and keep postage for special occasions (e.g. Christmas and holiday cards, invitations, etc.).
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