Why is Facebook Still Relevant???
Is it normal that I consume a product whose reason for existing is completely unclear to many people? I use Facebook. Unlike Instagram, Snapchat, or Youtube, most people I ask are not able to see exactly what you can do on that social network site that is different from anything you can do on the others.
Yes, I’d argue that not only is it normal but everyone does it. Nobody could have predicted the vast numbers of users of Social Network Sites (SNS) that there are today, and the numbers are still rising. Instead of drinking gin as a way to spend their excess cognitive surplus (Shirky Chapter 1: Gin, Television, and Cognitive Surplus), the modern consumer is more prone to use Social Network Sites (SNS). SNS’s are amazingly appealing for those with and without a lot of free time, excess energy, or generosity. They are also highly effective in meeting the needs of both those who consume and those who produce.
SNS are prevalent enablers of the passive consumer because it’s easy to sit at home after a long and busy day and consume social media before bed, completely alone, yet still feeling social. At the same time, there are a plethora of consumers who use their cognitive surplus to create and contribute through social media. I argue that as the cognitive surplus continues to increase, more and more people will become influencers, creating more than they produce, because there is more intrinsic motivation to create. Feelings of competence, membership, and autonomy are all reasons why those with higher levels of cognitive surplus are more prone to wanting to produce digital media through social media than consume it (Shirky Chapter 3: Motive). Applying Shirky’s concept of motive and motivation to the impulse behind making posts or contributing to a digital group, it’s likely that most SNS users attribute a sense of ownership and belonging to their digital creations. Through this theory, I can generate a good guess as to why Facebook, an aging SNS, still prevails in discourses of viable modern SNS’s.
Structuring their business model off the concept of the penniless sharing economy of information to the consumer (Jenkins), Facebook provides a plethora of social groups at the user’s disposal. Despite many newer social platforms like Snapchat and Instagram, which offer more specialized experiences of picture and video sharing, Facebook is unique because of the feelings of connection which Facebook’s social groups offer. A study done by HP Labs suggests that school affiliations are a primary social setting in which these groups form (Golder et al, Page 13). I believe people extend their sense of real-life belonging in school to the virtual social groups, making the group a powerful strategy for connection and belonging. These academic social groups, which take the forms of private Facebook group messages or class pages, offer a sense of perceived privacy and give participants a sense of autonomy, and full control over what information they share and to whom.
In academia and in the larger world, it’s beneficial for students and people to have access to services which allow for autonomous sharing of information. SNS like Facebook allow students to pursue their intrinsic drive to create and share their own content and build relationships through consuming others’ content. Facebook’s success lies in part from its ability to use this desire for content to generate income for Facebook. If I was a regular creator on these popular SNS’s, I would appreciate money for my time investments, since there are plenty of alternative ways for me to connect with people interested in my passions other than joining a Facebook group, or tweeting about it on Twitter. This is why I don’t spend my time creating on SNS, and limit my usage of it as a primary form of instant messaging and connecting with my colleagues, friends, and family. Despite my personal feelings, I still believe that Facebook will persist for some time. With so many content options available on Facebook, its fans are willing to endure seeing or skipping through advertisements to connect with others through their passions. Facebook’s ability to monetize basic human needs for connection, belonging, and creation is why it is still relevant today.
Works Cited
Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age, by Clay Shirky, Penguin Press, 2012.
Golder, Scott A., et al. “Rhythms of Social Interaction: Messaging Within a Massive Online Network.” Communities and Technologies 2007, 2007, pp. 41–66., doi:10.1007/978–1–84628–905–7_3.
Jenkins, Henry, et al. Spreadable Media: Creating Value and Meaning in a Networked Culture. New York University Press, 2018.
