This is the question I've been asking myself for some time now. What are the reasons for enormous and extreme Facebook growth/expansion? Why are 8 new profiles created every second? Why are people intensely using this social network? And most importantly, why is the society extending their (real) lives with engagement in virtual communities?
I'm aware of the fact that offline and online lives can't be separated anymore and are becoming more and more connected and intertwined, so the boundaries between them are practically blurred. But still, what force drives all of us to spend time sitting behind the computer screen rather face-to-face with friends in your favorite bar?
With a little help of Google I found a list of different reasons which could be answers to my questions:
Easy connection with friends. The main reason is probably that people can easily connect with their friends and their loved ones through the site. The news about your friend who is in another continent can easily reach you in just a matter of seconds, and vice versa.
Share photos, videos, events. Another reason why Facebook is so popular is that it is possible for a person to upload an unlimited number of photos, and put them in an album on their profiles. Facebook is a place to brag and boast activities, events and places that one has been to. A person can easily become popular through the unique and weird photos that he or she posts.
It's all about the games and apps. Facebook has a wildly extensive library of addictive games and add-ons that keep people coming back to the site. Many of the social games available reward their players for spending lots of time online to complete game objectives. Many people will spend countless hours on these online games, and periodically check their News Feed to see if anything interesting is happening.
It plays to people's vanity. People like to talk about themselves, especially when they think they have an audience. Many people post many updates every day on how their day is going. Me, myself, and I — in other words the site is all about you (or me rather). People love to talk about themselves and Facebook capitalizes on that to the extreme. You set up a profile featuring… Look at your options — edit my profile, view videos of me, view photos of me, what’s on your mind, and write something about yourself to name a few features. It’s perfect! Even keeps track of the number of friends you currently have to compare with others in the epic quest to have the most Facebook friends.
People are social animals. There will always be a social network available for people to use online. Right now it's Facebook. In two or there years it might be something new or it could still be Facebook. The future is unclear, but what is known is that Facebook has carved its place in history as the preeminent social network at the time of this writing.
Facebook satisfies people’s curiosity. Admit it. You’re a Facebook stalker. Half of your Facebook friends you would never call to chat with, but you don’t mind surfing through their pictures or watching their videos or reading their wall posts. According to the psychologist, the social network keeps users in a neurotic limbo, not knowing whether they should hang on in there just in case they miss out on something good.
In my opinion this are some relevant reasons for Facebook’s popularity but I’m still not fully satisfied – I think there’s something more to it, but I haven’t discovered it yet.
What do you think? Is there something else that attracts millions of people to Facebook?
Sources:
http://www.worthwhile.com/blog/why-is-facebook-so-popular/
http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-is-Facebook-So-Popular?&id=4130894
http://www.knowswhy.com/why-is-facebook-so-popular/
Nice post. You composed an interesting list of reasons for Facebook's popularity but as you said there must be something else behind it. The question what makes Facebook so special compared to other networking sites intrigues also me but I haven't really came to an answer yet. Beside that, what really surprises me is also how are numerous other sites incorporating Facebook into their services - there are so many sites offering option to register for their services by using Facebook username and password. I wonder what is making Facebook so special to be present almost anywhere; also when it comes to registering to other sites (there are also other social media sites that are offered to be used for registration but I got an impression that Facebook is most widespread). Do sites offering possibility to register through Facebook account gather some additional information from the accounts, do they have any other benefits or is these purely for the purpose of simplification? Or is this maybe only another side of the convergence happening in the digital world? Whatever it is, I find it interesting how Facebook is basicly present anywhere - in one way or another ...
OdgovoriIzbrišiI think we should ask Freund, Lacan and Mulvey why we are so in love with Facebook. Lacan: the subjective becomes its shape through self-recongition (in the mirror phase), Freud: Facebook is a fetish because it stands for the means of sexual satisfaction of secret unconscious desires, and Mulvey: scopophilia (watching others as sexual pleasure). Have phun, Molek! Next time, you do my blog! :)
OdgovoriIzbrišiThanks Tamara and Peter for your comments, they sure are interesting ;-)
OdgovoriIzbrišiMaybe the reason for Facebook's popularity and incorporation in numerous webpages is this interactivity element - it's a useful tool for sharing ideas, videos, pictures with others - but I think the most important reason lies besides this technological opportunities (but not get seduced by technological determinism) in the theories, mentioned by Peter... It's a mixture of both... :)
P.s. Next time I'll comment yours Peter :P
Facebook really is getting more and more popular - but some people alerady fear its threaths.
OdgovoriIzbrišiFor instance a friend from Mexico City avoids publishing photos showing her nieces and nephews in fear of kidnappers.
Another friend is grooming her profile in fear of employers checking her pictures and seeing her drinking or partying wildly.
Another acquaintance(a CEO of a company) says she only has FB to check on her employees, but doesn't wnat to share personal information.
The same with another male acquaintance - he says FB is good, but he wouldn't have a profile, because he hates the idea of giving personal information to the public.
Facebook is great to have your friends (or enemies) close to you.
I use it to see what has changed in the long years, when I last saw a friend in person. Many have married, many now have babies, some are already divorced... all communicated through FB.
But regarding all the unwanted spying on FB, maybe I should groom my profile too.