Alec Mocatta

Why Facebook is pure evil. And why I won’t be deleting my account (yet)

// December 26th, 2009 // Philosophising

We all use Facebook, whether we like it or not. And it’s great. It’s great as a way to keep in touch with friends, keep them updated and share photos with them. But the problems come when people use Facebook for other things, which is when it stops augmenting to our social interactions and starts replacing them.

Unlike other things that have affected our communication like phones, texts, emails and even Twitter, Facebook allows, encourages, and practically enforces superficiality, through features such as the “like” button and apps.  But these form part of the reason why Facebook is so successful.  These features are addictive.  And for many, it is the self-affirming nature of Facebook that keeps them there.

Facebook, like phones and texts before it, is changing communication.  But at the same time it is changing us, its users.  By making alternate and superficial personas  so easy to maintain, it is turning us into self-interested narcissists, and on a wider scale damaging society.  It is the global warming of the internet.

So why do I not just delete my account I hear you ask? It’s because there is no alternative that features the core of Facebook: my friends. And until they pick up another service there is little point me migrating. But will there be another service that we will move to? What could tempt people off the fastest growing social network in the world?

I believe Facebook will continue to be the network of choice to have an account on to keep in touch with friends and acquaintences. It will continue to attract a crowd of all ages, and as such will be unable to introduce desired features such as integrated music, profile customisation and public video and photo galleries, to avoid losing it’s raison d’être: it’s professionalism in networking.

I think it is unlikely any of the current major networks will change enough to satisfy the demand for something better. Changing the service so much is too great a risk for them. So it’s up to another social network to take Facebook’s crown. It will happen, sooner rather than later. And by the close of the coming decade we will have our omnipotent social network victor, and it will not be any of the current ones. Not even Twitter.