I was updating my Facebook today and realized how much I’ve grown more and more dissatisfied with the new direction of the social service. Now before I get accused of being drunk when I update my blog, since I openly display my love/hate relationship with Facebook, let me explain. Facebook is currently (and slowly) transitioning to a new design. Therefore, I have been using this blog to record my gut reactions when the newsfeed got updated (-2pts ), the Timeline and Open Graph got announced (+10 pts), and after having interacted with the new timeline—which most people don’t have—for over 2 weeks (-5 pts, today). With this behavioral trend, I’m good for future changes of opinion: after the timeline and open graph officially get implemented (-20pts), and I use it over a long period of time (+15pts). I guess that would leave them at -2 fictional points? What you may see as fickle, I see as an honest platform to explore my warranted indecision, but I digress.
What used to be a space where I meticulously curated an online image for sharing and connecting to others, is now geared towards passively sharing my life in real-time with others. The ‘online presence’ is being amplified, and while adults may demand transparency from big businesses, they don’t like their behavior being so transparent to others. It makes it harder to seem like I Facebook ironically—and have better things to do in the physical world—when the real-time ticker fills up with my back-to-back comments and likes. All of a sudden, and out of my control, I may look over-eager, bored, or addicted. Am I even gaining anything in return? And I don’t know if it’s a result of their new algorithm now deciding what’s “interesting,” but I’ve gotten significantly less feedback from my friends than before. I know this could just mean I’m boring my network, but for now I’ll keep it under question.
I say that this probably benefits Generation Z, or all those kids who don’t know what a grass stain is, because they would totally crave this level of transparency and immersion. Being a Facebook “tweenager” (I’m talking about tweens and teenagers) means virtually hanging out with your friends while you’re actually stuck at home because your parents suck. It also means getting feedback that you are part of a group and liked, which is of course what you base your self-esteem on. And if that includes watching television shows and listening to music with your friends online, versus in your room feeling alone, well the answer is a no brainer. Tweenagers live in a time of identity formation compounded with dating confusion. Since that guy you like keeps communicating with that girl you hate the newsfeed becomes a hunting ground where peers are stalked. You are thankful with how Facebook helps you get a pulse of your social network; Heaven forbid you be in the dark about these matters!
I hope this is just a temporary defect, but changing my profile picture and featuring the cover image completely seized my screen real estate. Makes for an underwhelming profile page at the moment.
While I was initially excited about the new time-diving capabilities that the timeline facilitates, it only marveled me the first time I experienced it. Since I don’t dig into my history on a regular basis—and I can’t dig through anybody else’s at the moment—I’m finding myself questioning the 2-column layout of the “new and improved” profile page. The widget look of the timeline feels clunkier, harder to scan, and doesn’t seem to out-benefit the previous single-column layout. So this makes me wonder: different for difference sake? Assuming how amazing Facebook UX’ers are, I’m sure the double columned format actually solves a problem faced by the new Open Graph integration. It’s only a matter of time before I find out. But for now—and I’m sorry to say—it’s an indefinite dislike during this beta release (mid-transition) Facebook. If only I was 15 again.
