What do you think of Facebook?

[Mike Arauz]

In the past few days I've come across these 3 blog posts that question Facebook's supposed awesomeness.

by Danah Boyd

by Noah Brier

and

by Rob Walker

I've been wondering about this recently myself. Although I've been using Facebook regularly, and I like how it's designed and how it works, I've had trouble actually appreciating what it's good for.

What do you think?

[Todd Foutz]

I'm really enjoying Facebook as a place to network with other planners. There are some good groups for planners and I really hope to see more sharing and collaborating going on there.

[Sydney Munroe]

i love facebook but that's just because all my friends are on there. If there were a new social networking site (which there will be) that all my friends were on, I would say goodbye to facebook and join that new one. Facebook was just the first settler.

[Andrew Kyrejko]

Facebook seems to have transcended from its initial designation as a "social networking site" to become an integral component of everyday life. Similar to Google search, users have unconsciously adopted Facebook as an inherent digital practice. Google is no longer a "search engine", its Google, and because Facebook allows everyone to capture, post, and connect with almost anything (and because so many people are using it), Facebook is its own unique pillar within the digital landscape. There are new and incredibly "cool" networks (like this one) that have highlighted niches that Facebook has neither explored nor developed (and then championed), but we can still share anything from Plannersphere on Facebook.

Maybe, because Facebook is such a digital hub for so many people, as long as its design, user base, and architecture produce the degree of connectivity the people want, depreciation of its coolness doesn't really matter?

Maybe its so entrenched in so many lives that Facebook is becoming immune to the digital ebbs and flows that kill or stimulate new "social networks."

It would be interesting to see data supporting dwindling "happiness" with, and lessened appreciation for, the connectivity Facebook provides. I wonder how usefulness and likability of Facebook would compare to usefulness and likability of government. Also, how will these entities evolve to continue to service the massive populations each supports? I don't attempt to wholly equate Facebook to government but there appear to be distinct similarities between how both have become standard life elements for so many people.