There is no doubt that social networking is an improvement in the way we communicate on the internet, as it allows for people to connect in ways not possible prior to it. For example, Facebook allows to search people by name; this is much easier compared to connect with old friends, family members, acquaintances, coworkers and so on.
However, social networking is not a new thing anymore and does have tenure. And of course, any social networking site will claim that they sign up new users left and right on a daily basis and have millions of users.
But how many of those millions of users actually bother using social networking is the question. How many are "bouncers", whereas they signed up then never did anything with their social network stuff afterward?
Even though the numbers are rising as far as social networking usage is concerned, its definitely not the hot topic of conversation anymore. Has the popularity of social networking peaked? I believe it has. And there’s only one direction something can go after it peaks.
I don’t want to indicate that this style of communication is a fad that will go away, because it won’t. This is something that I believe will remain on the internet for a good long time. But it’s obvious there are more than a few that have become, said politely, disenchanted with the way it works.
How social networking works is its biggest downfall. Facebook for example has things in it that crash constantly. Even when you attempt to do something as simple as send a message to somebody else, you may get a server error. Twitter has had the same problem ever since it started. MySpace also has its bugs. None of them have ever been able to operate with 100% efficiency.
On top of that, these sites changes their interfaces continually. What you clicked on one day to get somewhere may get moved next week. And then moved again next month. It’s irritating to deal with.
The final blow that gets people disenchanted with social networking is that it can be nothing but a big ball of boring. Like it or not, all social sites act the exact same way, with the only differences being in what applications are available to you. But then there are those who don’t bother with apps, so what you do on Facebook is more or less the exact same thing you did on MySpace. Eventually it becomes tiresome and you just quit using it.
In the end, what you have is a medium where you add a bunch of people on a contact list, trade messages, photos and funny cat videos.
There should be no wonder as to why some people bounce from this. Some call it like it is: "Isn’t a social networking site just a big forum with some extra added crap in it nobody uses?"
Mainly, yes. People recognize this and move on to other things.
What do you think?
Has social networking passed its peak of popularity? Have you become disenchanted with it? Let people know by posting a comment.
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I tried Facebook and Twitter because that’s what so many others were doing. So I thought I would experiment and see what the big deal is about. Nothing really happened. I thought it was me at first, that I was doing something wrong. But then I realized this is how it is…virtual nothingness. I guess if you really get into it that its a great way of burning time…if that’s how you want to use your time.
I don’t know about passing it’s peak in general, but it sure has with me. I’ve always felt it’s a pretty big deal about nothing special. Just the same old thing, communicating on the internet, presented with new and different accessories.
For many it has become a source of stress, anxiety, and of course time wasting. People do it because everybody’s doing it. It is in fact, a trendy thing to do. I pretty much tired of it immediately. Why would I want to take some MORE time out of my busy day to waste on talking to people??? Nobody needs to know whats going on with everyone else all the time. People need to just calm down, and get more into their own lives.
The biggest thing Facebook, etc. does for me is act as a self-updating contact book. Which, in the end, is what it really is. No need to keep up with addresses (physical or email), etc. Just hit them up on Facebook. Great idea, really. You essentially put yourself into others contact books upon mutual agreement. Other than the mindless time wasters (which I do not use), that is all Facebook really does. The photos are nice, but really they are just a photo entry in the contact book.
It will never go away, but there will be other forms (much like I said on your post re: internet relics). But the the fad will decrease .
I never understood the hype. I signed up for MySpace, maybe I updated it once, and that was it.
I was signed up by a friend to Facebook. I couldn’t care less about the thing after Hi5. Now it’s the greatest timewaster that I have. It’s an ‘ok’ medium to keep in contact with family and friends but it’s godawfully slow, buggy, continuously hacked into (the ‘Konami Code’ was a good one though) and has a REALLY crappy interface. What do I mainly use it for? Playing games and as far as I’ve seen, that’s what most people do with their time on Facebook (“cough” Farmville). That and playing around with those stupid ‘How well do you know me’ apps. IMO, I think they’re overrated.
I wouldn’t say it has jumped the shark just yet. I just started using Facebook and found a bunch of old high school friends, got some sad news about the death of a friend, and found a photo of myself at punk show in 1985 posted on there. Reconnecting has been so cool. I also keep track of who my daughters’ friends are.
Your point, however, about the boredom is right on. I do get bored with it easily. I also get very annoyed to find out that my friends are at work, at the gym, eating dinner, etc… Plus the clunky and buggy apps/UI’s are infuriating, like you said.
I suppose the benefit of social networking comes down to how you use it. Obviously it will have great value to some people, and little to no value to others.
I don’t think Social networking sites have completely jumped the shark . Sites like Facebook and Myspace are perfectly fine and wont die down unless your a constant facebooker or twittererer (i think that’s right) then, it becomes boring .
Agreed on the virtual nothingness. Though I do think some utility some exists in it. As previously mentioned in the comments, you can have a great contact list. Of course, you could do the same with a database on your own computer and freely under Linux if you really wanted. I’m on Face book simply because my family and one friend is on it. Sometimes when I feel like bothering with hassle, might try a game. But for the most my profile really doesn’t do much aside from collect electronic dust. I suppose Face book isn’t for introverts and thinkers.