One of the conversations I have had during the week was with Gordon around the take off of Facebook. Why do people feel happy to contact me through facebook yet not through email or telephone call? What is it about facebook that has that draw that allows people to start communicating with each other again. is it something about being able to see a pictre and seeing something of what they are getting up to at the moment? Certainly facebook is more personal than email and gives an indication of how certain people are relating to each other. As for me, I have started ‘chatting’ with people right back from school and uni days which is great.
There is also another ‘thing’ about facebook that we chatted about and kind of concerns me. The collecting of friends. I have started to reject peoples requests as I feel that they just want to ‘prostitute’ me and add me to their numbers! he fact that people add you and then make no comment, nor respond to a ‘hello, how are you?’ causes me to think this.
Seriously, I have had friend requests from people I met once in a lift at some conference 5 years ago (maybe a slight exageration) to people that I have known in the past and pretend they don’t see me waiting at Gillingham station to catch the train – one such incident happened a few weeks ago with a friend request from a person that literally turned their back after gaining eye contact and receiving my ‘good morning’. Theyw ere sat opposite me the whole 45 minute journey and I ending up wishing I had my laptop there and then so I could turn the screen and let them see me ignore their pending friend request! Maybe that would have been a little unkind!
Do people wants friends on facebook, or do people want to give th impression that they have lots of friend to other people. I guess another possibility is that people want to give themselves the impression that they have lots of friends. Is Facebook a way of fooling ourselves that we are ‘linked’ with others? Is it a way to community without the need to interact seriously through the pain and joy that real community brings?
It’s an interesting issue and I wonder what others think?
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The Shiny Headed Prophet 
There are probably less motives than Facebook users but I think there is still a fairly diverse set of reasons for being there.I like the opportunity to stay in casual contact with a group of people allowing you to pick up some of what is going on both for those you see regularly and those you haven’t met up with for ages.I think it can enhance real life relationships when you follow up (or are followed up on) something that was published on Facebook. I am less keen on most of the “fun” things like pokes and pirates, so I studiously ignore them.BTW, I would be honoured if you wanted to connect to me via Facebook… I’m pretty easy to find on there 😉