Facebook appears to be a powerful social media. Why are so many people attracted to it?
Launched in February 2004, Facebook, Inc, founded by Mark Zuckerberg, is up and growing every day. From a limited usage of fellows in Harvard, the social media now commands a great coverage all over the world (Baloun, 2007). As at 2006, anyone 13 years and above with an email address stood to benefit with this virtual connectivity. In 2007, several businesses got the ability to use the site to attract their customers and upload their portfolios. Actually, the number grew too much that the organization decided to establish a head office in Dublin. The monthly growth in 2013 alone stands at 1.67%. These rates beat the projection of users reaching 30 million this year. Why is this attraction so livid?
According to research done by MIT students, it emerged that many people prefer Facebook because of its easy to use interface (Carter, 2012). The sample students indicated a liking for the ability to negotiate their searches as well as find their friends online. One recent introduction that many applauded was the video call centre that enabled them to be on Facebook and have video conferences and chats.
Another reason for the apparent growth of Facebook is due to the Faceboook ads and pages. The platforms on Facebook have a unique application system that appeals to much interest of different people all over the world. Research has proven that Facebook is as accommodative of many groups as the world. Within Facebook, several small focus groups exist that appeal to different categories of people. Upon forming a connection with these groups, the liking continues. Examples of such groups include pages like Heysuccess.com, which attracts the youth and students with a burning desire to venture abroad on internships, conferences, and summer schools. The marketing of such groups enable many who do not use Facebook to register thus the increase in the Facebook family.
One lasting impression from many Facebook users is the one of its kind image it has acquired over the past few years. We have the physical world, which is traditional and spaced as far as the whole continent. However, Facebook, so far, is one social site that relates to a virtual media. In Facebook, you get information; perform some actions and many more. What is not Facebook today? One scholar remarked. To add to its simplicity is the easy to use navigations that appeal to many.
Perhaps one of the most pressing challenges that have emerged in the course of my investigation focuses on the privacy of many users. According to Fowey, a Harvard school professor, the privacy accorded those in Facebook concerning how safe their private information is has led to a huge unrest among Facebook users. This category specially touches on the older generation of users. MIT students, who mostly preferred to keep it “safe” on Facebook due to the hacking and indecent exposure of information, also confirmed this fear.
Several critics claim that Facebook has seen better days and is on a projection to downfall in the near future. According to recent studies on the nature of Facebook and the public domain, this appears to be just one of the critics that spurs the company (Sarah, 2006 0nline). New sources on the company’s website project fresh strategies aimed at making the social site a public utility. For instance, the new timeline innovation is a cunning move to get people to identify with Facebook on a personal level. The basics dwell on gathering information about you. Ideally, the creativity on the site has two commitment values, “I need your information, and more information” plus “let’s be friends!” The last clause dwells on its stickiness so that one spends a lot of time online to share information and ads.
Reference
Baloun, Karel M. Inside Facebook: Life, Work and Visions of Greatness. Victoria, B.C: Trafford, 2007. Print.
Carter, B. (2012). The like economy: How businesses are making money with Facebook. Indianapolis, IN: Que.
Kirkpatrick, D. (2010). The Facebook effect: The inside story of the company that is connecting the world. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Lacy, Sarah (September 12, 2006). "Facebook: Opening the Doors Wider". BusinessWeek (New York). Retrieved March 9, 2008.
