Facebook Status Update: Feel the Greatness of Facebook

By Talin Gharibian
Abnertalinga@sbcglobal.net

“What self-respecting college student isn’t on Facebook?” may initially seem like an absurd question. Sift through your mental inventory of friends, however, and you will probably be able to count the result solely with one hand.

There must be at least a little bit of substance and value in something so popular, right? Even though that premise may often be wrong, in this case, it’s remarkably right.

The beginning of this monolithic corporation was quite humble, after all. Created only 6 years ago, it was the brainchild of a Harvard undergraduate. He wanted to create a database of college friendships.

Mr. Zuckerburg went above and beyond his initially plain aim. The social network of Facebook now boasts over 22 million active users, more than half of which are in high school or college. It is the nation’s 6th most-visited website, according to the tracking firm ComScore.

Facebook’s most accessible positive attribute is that it provides the ability to network socially. It helps break down barriers between employers/colleagues and employees as it allows connections to be built on new “non-professional” levels.

Most people find it difficult to maintain strong connections between friends and family over a large geographic distance. Letters have become obsolete and the telephone incompatible with a high-paced lifestyle; staying in-touch with Facebook is the new low-key alternative. According to a current CSUN student from London, “It [Facebook] is amazing; I can chat with my cousins in Paris all the time without any inconvenience.”

Facebook not only allows for the reinforcement of social relations with existing friends, but also the direct creation of new ones. Users can search for old friends, stumble upon them through mutual friends, and even make completely new ones (conveniently enough according to city, college or interests). It especially allows users to stay in the know regarding happenings, as ‘event invitations’ have completely replaced any other form of notification.

Facebook users may not only project any idea they have into this “world” but also control what ideas others have of them. The popularity of the site is rooted in its privacy; users have the ability to control/specify what audience sees what information. It is the 21st century providing an easy, efficient way to constantly change social masks.

The new Facebook Global Happiness Index measures the mood of the country based on how many times a day users utilize common words such as “happy,” “good,” “angry,” or “tragic.” Adam D.I. Kramer, creator of the index, said that this could be the first step in reorienting the nation’s sense of self-worth. Perhaps it is a better model for social progress. It shifts attention from measures of economic performance to the psychological health of the country (which is in turn useful regarding the economy).

Expectedly, any monolithic corporation would focus a tremendous amount of effort upon consumer analysis. As you may or may not know, Facebook uses information its members provide in order to direct advertising (yes - that is why you keep seeing hangover pill and stress management class advertisements). This ever-efficient method results in increased consumerism, which in turn results in a stronger economy (or at least a more aware public), which in turn is more beneficial.

One of the most groundbreaking new developments in Facebook utilities is the Marketplace, or free classified advertising available to the public (divided into the categories of Housing, Jobs, For Sale, and Other). This is particularly helpful for new businesses and those attempting to sell online services. The businesses that utilize Facebook report an increase in revenue, contrary to the ones that do not.

There is a great benefit in connecting the social and business realms. “The advantage of having classifieds linked to a social network is that you know something about the seller,” said an analyst at Forrester Research. In this case, you are less likely to be a victim of fraud through someone you know.

Rivaling Marketplace in new usefulness is Facebook’s new feature of directly linking or tagging others within status updates, particularly for businesses. Andrew Huang, a product manager at Facebook who developed this new feature, said it would enable users “to talk about their real-world connections” and “interact with each other more.” This will also allow businesses to monitor what others are saying about them, in turn emphasizing improvement. Customers feel a personal connection, which fuels an increase in business. “It is a great way to interact one-on-one and build a relationship with our customers,” says Alice Shin, the Kogi BBQ truck’s creative director. This mobile company of Korean cuisine has 4,300 followers on Twitter and 2,150 on Facebook. They use Facebook to post specials, discounts, and daily shifting locations.

All in all, Facebook’s benefits extend to so many varying realms of modern existence. Its positive attributes most clearly outweigh its negative ones. If you are skeptical, just try to imagine your social life without its existence. That gentle pang in your stomach says you agree -- though perhaps that was aided by the mention of the basically-holy Kogi truck.