Facebook: Alive & Well

A recent article by Hillary Rhodes poses the question: "Is Facebook Past Its Prime?"

First thing's first: let's settle down here folks. I understand that in the age of social media, time moves at warped speed. But do we need to declare the impending doom of everything we can think of just because it's not the newest tool/site/gadget? I'll answer that question for you: no. We don't.

Facebook is not past its prime. In fact, it will outlast Twitter. Yes, I said it. The day Twitter's numbers start to decrease is the day Facebook is still going strong. For one thing, Facebook is completely different from Twitter. Completely -- at least from a Gen-Y perspective. Twitter is used to have conversation, to network. Facebook is used for that, yes, but it's also used for about a million other things. 'The book' gives you access to your friends lives, and -- as creepy as it may sound -- that's one of the biggest (if not thee biggest) reason why people use it. We get to see photos, videos, who's talking to who and the big one: relationship statuses. We can send out private messages longer than 140 characters and include multiple people in them. We can add all these ridiculous apps that provide absolutely no meaning to our lives (bumper stickers anyone?). We link ourselves to brands and groups, and we select the people we want to see all this information.

Yes, you can have pictures and some apps on Twitter, but it's not in one central, easy-to-find location. And yes, you can lock your Tweets and be selective about who sees them, but that defeats the entire purpose of Twitter.

Now, let's break down the rest of this piece point-by-point:

Rhodes says: Facebook veterans are defecting to Twitter.
I say: For how long? Yes, Rhodes is right by saying after two or three Fbook status updates a day, it gets to be a little much. Twitter definitely wins the status battle because, well, at its core, that's essentially what it is. The part where I disagree is that even though it's easier to make it seem like you're 'cool' and 'out and about' doing something important on Twitter, a lot of the time people don't care. It goes back to my argument where Twitter is effectively used when sharing things beyond 'what are you doing.' And as far as the mobile factor goes -- I know just as many people who update their Facebook status by their phone as those that do at their computer.

Rhodes Says: People who actually have lives don't use Facebook.
I say: Pardon? I have a life -- at least, I like to think I do -- and I use Facebook. Anyway, that's not the point here. Rhodes says that people who are out doing important things such as 'starring in a major motion picture' either aren't using Facebook or aren't maintaining it. Here's the thing: publicly, no they probably aren't. It goes back to the difference in tools. Twitter is more of an open channel of communication where as Facebook is a more private setting. Movie stars might have Facebook, but unless they're crazy they're going to limit it to their friends and family. They would use their Twitter (or dare I say Facebook fan page?) to communicate with everyone else.

As far as the users who spend a lot of time on Facebook not having a lot going on in their offline lives: think again. Facebook is a way of life for college students. We think it's weird when someone DOESN'T have an account. Ask anyone. And we have a lot going on.

Rhodes says: In the real world, people often have good reasons for losing touch with old friends.
I say: I'm going to go out on a limb here and say -- don't friend the people you don't want to. De-friend them. Or ignore them. It's really not that difficult.

Rhodes says: Having too many friends takes the edge off Facebook postings.
I say: See my last response. If you don't want to be PG-rated, then don't friend your boss. Don't friend people you shouldn't. If you're opening up your Facebook to everyone and anyone, then it becomes a different tool. That's your own fault.

Rhodes says: After that '25 things' note, there's not much left to say.
I say: This is the most valid point made in this article. But even then I disagree because I don't do any quizzes (okay, I took the Real Housewives of NJ quiz once) or 25 Things notes, and I have plenty to occupy myself with on Facebook. I enjoy connecting with my Facebook friends. It's what makes it fun. It's why Facebook WILL survive. It's about the people. I agree with Rhodes, it's not necessarily about how many people you connect with. But it still is about the people.

So my final thoughts: As far as networking goes, Twitter has the edge. I've met and interacted with a lot of cool people on Twitter; I would not have been able to do that on Facebook. But Facebook connects you with the people that matter most. Facebook is friendship. How you choose those people is up to you -- some of you might choose to let anyone be your friend while others stick to friends and family. I think the majority of Facebook users lie in the latter category.

Facebook is not past its prime. It's not over the hill. It's not dying. It's not even sick. It's a youthful individual in its mid-twenties.

Viva la Facebook.