This post is just a tongue-in-cheek outlook on the most happening Social Networking Portal- Facebook.
After a disheartening IPO the mania that used to be Facebook, is diminishing every succeeding day. Maybe people are just getting bored of Facebook, or maybe this is just another phase in the effervescent life-cycle of Facebook. Only time (and Mark Zuckerberg perhaps) can tell how the growth of this portal will affect our lives and how we connect with people.
Facebook is not without its flaws however, here are a few that irked me and I personally found bothersome.
1. “Dislike” is a heavily demanded for button.
Think about it.
X- I’m so happy with my life, my car, my wife, my bottle… and here are the pictures for you to see and like!!
Y- Dislike.
People are really craving for this button to materialize on Facebook. Everybody wants to share their discontent/displeasure regarding topics that crop up on their network. No need to give a lengthy comment to defend one’s stance on a topic, a simple click on the ‘Dislike’ button will do the trick.
If I was motivated enough I would have made an online petition, pleading people to like & share for the “Cause of the ‘Dislike’ button”. And include a false promise like “If 10000 people share this post, Facebook will incorporate the ‘Dislike’ button!” but, obviously, I’m not motivated enough.
2. “Comment” is an overrated button.
My parents always advised me against commenting on other people’s affairs. It’s intrusive to say the least.
My parents are terribly old-fashioned though and have no idea about how Facebook has changed the definition of the word ‘Comment’. It is however very interesting to notice how Facebook, through its many changes to the interface is encouraging comments. If you scroll down through your news feed, you will notice your display picture at the end of every post along with the caption ‘Write a comment…’.
The step of clicking on the ‘Comment’ button has been eliminated, thus enticing (the laziest) users to share their opinions regarding posts.
3. “Disable Comments” would be a lovely option to have.
Youtube has it. So why not?!
It’s a crude form of imposed censorship, but it does give people more control over their content and how they would like to share it. And let’s face it, this will help reducing the immense amount of spam that is being generated these days only through comments.
4. “Home” tab is inappropriate nomenclature.
Do I need to elaborate?
‘Home?’ In which twisted way? Agreed that every website has a ‘Home’ page and that it is important for the identity of the brand, but does Facebook need to call it ‘Home’?! Why can’t it just be called the ‘News Feed from Friends’ or ‘News’ if length is the issue! They say “Home is where the heart is”, well I sure don’t want my heart to be in my Facebook Home page, or anywhere else except for my chest cavity.
Isn’t the concept of home dedicated to a close nurturing group of people (Family) who help each other live & survive? ‘Home’ on Facebook, is slightly less pious than that.
5. “See Friendship”
Disbelief was what I felt the first time I chanced upon this tab.
Horror was the succeeding emotion, as I visualized a time in the near future, where everyone is connected and life is lived through the internet.
No more going out in public, no more chatting over a cup of coffee.
Every person’s whims and fancies will be catered to, online.
Every product as well as service, will be available online and tailor-made for each end user.
Isn’t this the web-based utopia we are heading towards as a community? To try and establish a perfect market on the internet? Well what happens to the human connection in this future?? Will all our conversations be online??
“See Friendship” would be a really useful button at that point of time.