MySpace vs. Facebook

As I'm getting older, I have grown out of the MySpace phase. Just a few weeks ago, I deleted my MySpace account and I'm not the only one doing it.

Since last October, the number of MySpace visitors are decreasing. Recently, Facebook has expanded in membership. I remember the first time I entered the world of MySpace was the same time I created a Facebook account. During this time, I never thought I would see Facebook come to achieve as much as it has now. In fact, I didn't even think Facebook would last because of the amazing popularity of MySpace.

It's definitely a different story now.

I decided to turn my back on MySpace because it just wasn't for my target audience. MySpace is more attractive to teens. Facebook is more appropiate for college students. Interestingly enough, Facebook has expanded to allow membership to a wider audience, yet I don't feel like the social networking site is very teen-oriented. Facebook is the perfect site to network with other college students and build relationships. It's a new level of sophistication. I'm no longer concerned with "pimping out" my profile page or meticulously deciding who will be on my "top 8 friends" list.

Something that does concern me is whether or not Facebook is on the same track as MySpace. Facebook is a niche social networking site that targets college students, but after broadening their target audience to high school students worries me. Is Facebook going to be another teeny-bopper site that allows members to "pimp out" their profiles? Facebook's expansion on the various applications are another issue of concern. Are these applications such as bumper stickers, pieces of flair, and super poke, to name a few, going to have negative affects on the site? I feel these applications are cluttering the site.

It's uncertain how long the trends of social networking sites are going to last, but they have made a tremendous impact in the digital world. I know that my Facebook account is not going anywhere for now.

Hardly Fading

It's good to know that conversation sites like forums and chats are still alive and kicking. I've always known about forums and chats but I never participated. With new innovations in the digital world, conversation sites have faded into the back for me. I didn't even think twice about visiting forums or using chats.

I was not aware of how often people used forums to feed their hunger for specialized news. I talked to a friend who told me he spent hours looking at forums for recent technology in the gaming industry because he gets instant news before it hits mainstream audiences. Another friend tells me he checks sports forums everyday for updates.

Forums are another great tool for journalists to gather news ideas, leads, and sources. Similar to blogs, forums are sites for fresh ideas.

Just recently, I was notified that Facebook included a chat application. It's interesting to find that the rise of social networking site are taking advantages of chats. Is it really necessary for Facebook to include chat? The site already provides means to communicate through wall posts, messages, and etc. I guess chat provides immediate communication simultaneously. Again, another conquest of Facebook in attempts to dominate the digital world.

A thing of the past? Hardly.

Digital Activism

On March 12, the organization Reporters Without Borders announced the first Online Free Expression Day. The group launched a 24-hour online protest occuring in nine virtual countries that have been considered Internet enemies by the international press organization.

Reporters Without Borders are an organization that works to fight against press freedom violations. The online protest was a response to online censorship and abuses throughout the world. The group noticed an alarming rate of blogs, websites, and forums being closed from the government.

How effective can this be?

The webpage designed for the cyber demonstration is very interactive. There is a flash application installed for the protest, which is well-designed and gives it some glitz but I feel like I'm in a virtual gaming system rather than a protest. Once you choose to demonstrate, you are allowed to pick from five pre-made slogans. Afterwards, you have the option to move your faceless character around the digital setting. It's really hard to take the protest seriously with the application.

I don't quite understand how this virtual protest is going to mobilize protestors to take action and make an impact. What is the desired outcome for this organization? I'm not sure a fancy application will be the catalyst for change.

Digital Insanity

The digital world is growing at a rapid speed and that's great or is it? I feel left in the dust and unable to keep up with the latest trends in the digital arena. No one seems to want to take a traditional approach to communication.

Everywhere I turn, I'm bombarded with messages through the digital world. Anytime I'm offline, I'm directed to go online. I don't get phone calls, I receive text messages. We don't even use full words, instead, we abbreviate. My main source of communication with my friends is through e-mail and Facebook. Sometimes, we just type in our status and moods to alert others of our day. Whatever happened to face-to-face interactions?

The adoption of digital technologies has given us the mentality of having everything we want instantaneously, in just one click. This desire has created an invisible wall for society. Sure, there is content in the message, but where is the context? The words and sentences exist without emotions and non-verbal cues.

I'm not sure the digital world is the best method to create intimate, personal, and formal relationships. For advertisers, the digital world is a great environment to track and monitor users and potential buyers but there is no great depth in building relationships.

We are so caught up in our digital world that we don't understand life beyond the click.

Social Networking Site Filled with Unwanted Clutter

Once upon a time, Facebook profiles were simple and provided the most basic networking services. Things have changed.

Facebook is a popular social networking site that keeps people connected but lately, it is becoming an annoyance for many of its users. The site has gone through tremendous growth and improvement since its arrival. It has expanded to include much more interactive applications. It was no longer just about creating a profile, adding friends, sending messages and poking them. Now, you can take quizzes, add bumper stickers, give gifts, and the list is endless. How could this possibly be a bad thing?

Many Facebook users are unhappy with the applications. The main complaint of the applications are of privacy and spamming issues. Users are dealing with the problem by protesting against the use of applications.

Adam Werlinger a Columbia College student has organized a group to protest the applications. The group called "Official Facebook Petition: To ban the inviting of friends on applications" has over 1,000,000 members and requests that the site offer a tool to block the applications.
It is important to offer users the option to block these applications. It is amusing at first to take a quiz or add a bumper sticker but when the application requires us to invite our friends to get our desired result, it just gets out of control.

Facebook's applications have cluttered the Web site and blurred its main services. Overall, the site has created an unpleasant experience for many users. Fortunately, Paul C. Jeffries who leads the Platform Developer Operations & Support team acknowledges the flaws of the applications and wrote a blog on Facebook addressing the problems and providing a solution.

Good riddance to application spam.