A Facebook Usage Spot Check
By Mike Lauterborn
© 2010. All Rights Reserved.
9/8/10
Since Mark Zuckerberg and a few of his Harvard University classmates launched the social networking site Facebook back in February 2004, it has grown into a behemoth with over 500 million active users as of July 2010. Just what is the fascination with this online interface, how are people using it and who are they?
Varied Usage
Zuckerberg’s initial site concept was along the lines of “Hot or Not”, essentially featuring photos of students from nine houses on campus. Two would be shown at a time and visitors challenged to decide which was “hotter”. From these sophomoric beginnings, Facebook has become the leading social networking site, leaving once popular MySpace in the dust.
Sandra McLean-Maragh, 43, of Hollywood, FL, aptly sums up the reason people primarily rely on Facebook. “I use it to keep in touch, especially with my friends and family, who are scattered locally and internationally,” the married mother of a 14-year-old daughter said.
Maragh also uses it to share photos, as do most users. In fact, their pages typically house whole albums of photos, which are often catalogued with regard to the event or occasion to which they relate – a vacation, a night out, a birthday celebration, a family gathering, etc. They become a history of a life.
Others use Facebook to reconnect with old classmates and maintain relationships. Bethanie Cabral, 34, from New Jersey, said that she “wouldn’t have found my two childhood besties” without it.
Still others have a more business-minded approach to the social networking medium. Bob D’Aprile, 48, of Stamford, CT, host of a radio rock music program, uses FB for event promotion, to monitor his Fan site and get the word out about two other businesses.
Facebook gives you the ability to create a “Fan” page, wherein you can promote yourself and your activities and enlist fans. You can ask other users to “Like” what you are promoting and, if they click on the adjacent “Like” button, they become a fan or follower.
A Language Unto Its Own
There is, without a doubt, a certain language and favorite expressions that Facebook users have adopted, which seem universally commonplace. Perhaps the most popular expression is “LOL”, or Laughing Out Loud. “I love my ‘lol’,” said Evelina Khaimova, 22, of Queens, NY. “It’s so simple and when you have nothing to say, ‘lol’ is perfect.”
“LOL” enjoys a myriad of related iterations like “LMAO” (Laughing My A** Off), “LMFAO” (a step up from LMAO, with an expletive thrown in), “ROTFL” (Rolling On the Floor Laughing) and even “PMSL” (Pissed Myself Laughing). These are used in response to amusing comments and, often, startling images.
Other terms express dismay and disappointment. For instance, “WTF” (What The…) is used to question something that is puzzling or to express outrage about a particular action or slight. Another, “STFU” (Shut the… Up) is used out of annoyance or in jest as a reply to a barb or remark. Maragh’s daughter, Amanda Sookdeo, created her own expression, which is more of a symbol actually: “. _ .” Maragh explains that it is “a smile that has been run over!”
Other common, quick symbols include “:-)” (smiley face), “:-(“ (sad face), “:-p” (silly face with tongue sticking out), “:-o” (surprised face) and “;-)” (flirtatious winking face).
A Whole Community of Friends
Some users are very conservative about the number of Facebook friends they keep. Maragh claims to be “very particular” and has only amassed 10 friends to date. On the opposite end of the spectrum, comedian Gina Brillon, 30, from Bronx, NY, has pulled together 2, 249 friends. Many of the latter have joined her site as fans of the content she regularly posts. Others, like Allison Macdowell, 45, of Matthews, NC, claims to have “zillions” of friends but only “3 really great ones!”
Pam Ortiz of Fairfield, CT, who has 210 FB friends at present, likes to look over her list occasionally. “I try to figure out who I could delete but always end up keeping all of them!” Most users fall somewhere in the middle of the scale, with between 200 and 600 FB friends on average.
To add a friend to one’s Friend List, one has a few access options. One can simply plug in a friend’s name to a search window and, if they successfully find the right person, can simply Friend Request them. Often, though, due to online privacy issues and to keep users from being harassed, Facebook may not allow the connection if it is suspected that the “requester” does not personally know the “requestee”. In this case, one can send the user a message asking if they would like to connect and to Friend Request them back.
Fave Features
Facebook offers a host of features that allow users to maximize their experience and interaction with each other. This includes the ability to post a wide assortment of media: photos, video clips, event notices and links to online content.
Photos, which can be uploaded from both land-based and mobile devices, often include those of friends and family, or sometimes a celebrity or amusing image. “Sharing pictures with my kids in Hawaii makes me feel a little more connected with them,” said Ortiz. Photos can be “tagged”, meaning that if you recognize yourself in someone else’s photo, you can tag it with your name so that the photo then automatically appears on your own page. Or the photo uploader can identify people in a particular photo, which then automatically posts it on the page of everyone tagged.
Videos tend to be established content, like a music performance or televised screen clip, often pulled from YouTube. Occasionally, you’ll see something more homegrown like a dog dancing on its hind legs to the Mexican Hat Dance or toddler doing samba moves!
Event notices typically include day/date/time, host, location and a brief description. “I like to keep updated on upcoming events, mostly concerts,” said Ortiz, an avid music lover.
Links can be to any content available online, from articles and scientific literature to content clips and photos.
Denise Gallardo of Highland, CA, enjoys putting up and getting reactions to her provocative status postings. These are often broadcast out on a Facebook News Feed and allow for feedback and comments. The more provocative the posting, the more voluminous and involved the commentary. “Facebook is fun in this way!” she adds.
Maragh finds some status updates irksome. “I think it is useless for someone to simply post ‘bored’ or ‘tired’ and not an explanation so I can respond!”
Is Facebook Educational?
Beyond offering another option to stay connected, Facebook serves an educational purpose for many. Macdowell said, “FB challenges me to reach further.” Ed Jun Kim, 45, of Irvine, CA, said, “It’s sometimes educational when I see a useful link.” Khaimova finds it insightful “because people always share their thoughts, feelings and other interesting things (from YouTube, a famous quote, fun personal pictures). You constantly learn something new.” Khaimova also finds it helpful with regard to completing school projects. “In college, let’s say you are not comfortable with giving out your phone number to a classmate… You can always simply find them on Facebook.”
Had Your Facebook Fix?
Some can take or leave Facebook and say they have other options to stay connected. But the majority of users say they miss it when they haven’t been on in a while. “I’m hooked – line and sinker!” said Cabral. “I am addicted!” joked Khaimova. “I start to miss the jokes and interaction,” added Gallardo. “I feel like I’m missing out on things, like events and opportunities,” decided Brillon. “I did miss Facebook when I was away on vacation and had no reception at our resort for a week,” confessed Ortiz.
Users usually check in daily, and sometimes 2 to 3 times a day. Some may spend as much as 1 to 2 hours on FB in a session. Others, like Macdowell, are “always” on.
A Replacement for Real World Socializing?
Facebook can be an entrée to new friends, but there’s a debate as to whether it can be a stand-in for real world connections. “I enjoy staying in contact with friends that I found on People Search, whom I otherwise may never have found,” said Ortiz. “And I feel like I’m socializing at times when I may not be able to get out of the house.” On the other hand, D’Aprile fears, “That initial connection when you start a conversation with someone in a public place has slowly been replaced by Facebook exchanges. Personally, I prefer to look into the eyes of a pretty woman, then continue having Facebook exchanges.” He added, “That said, people feel safer via Facebook. Once you know more about someone, then a real meet-up may follow.”
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