So by now you must’ve heard, Facebook is making some changes. I know, I know, Facebook making changes? What else is new?
Rather than repeat what’s already out there, you can see the details of Facebook’s latest changes here on Mashable. More changes are actually coming today shortly after we publish this post.
Some history
Historically speaking, almost NONE of Facebook’s changes have gone over well. Not even the newsfeed. People hated it at the start, and many still hate it.
Places was a dud. Deals was a dud. We complain about Farmville posts. We complain about the ridiculous privacy settings. We complain about our data being sold to any advertiser with a crisp dollar bill. Every UI change has made a large portion of the user base unhappy.
I had a fascinating talk with my wife this morning about Facebook changes, human behavior and the entrance of Google+ as a competitor. Here’s what we settled on:
People don’t like change
Some individuals may like change, but people as a whole, do not embrace change. It’s uncomfortable. Here’s what is interesting though.
Prior to Google+, we, the users of Facebook, have consistently changed and adapted to Facebook’s UI, feature and functionality “improvements.” We complain and threaten to leave, but rarely do people actually leave. We get over it and accept that these new changes are what they are. Privacy concerns have a short lifespan, interface woes even shorter. We clenched our jaw, cried out in frustration and moved on.
So now Facebook is launching a host of new “improvements” many of which user’s are already speaking out against. Facebook is not about to stop making unilateral changes to it’s platform. They haven’t before and they likely won’t in the future. It’s a free platform, so whine and complain all you want, Facebook doesn’t owe you anything. It’s THEIR platform and you are the product, NOT the customer.
Why do we put up with this?
Because…
Facebook IS ESSENTIAL and was without competition
It’s unfortunate but true. No Facebook is not essential to life, it’s not a survival necessity, but it IS the way people communicate. Yes, there are people without Facebook accounts and yes, there are even people without computers. Personally, I don’t know what they are trying to prove. Do they also light their stoves by banging two rocks together? Do they still write hand written letters to family in geographically isolated locations? The unfortunate truth is that this is a platform that we NEEDED to stay in touch. There was nothing available as a substitute.
What. is. Facebook?
New Competition
So now there is Google+. It’s got a clean design, simple sharing and data liberation settings. Games are segmented out from the start. Why isn’t everyone migrating? Simple answer:
PEOPLE DON’T LIKE CHANGE
It’s a marginal change for people to adapt to Facebook’s newest whatever than it is to pick up and move to an entirely new platform. And before you go there, stop with the MySpace argument. I like Google+ too, but that doesn’t mean Google+ is synonymous to Facebook and Facebook is synonymous to MySpace. It’s not 2005 anymore and Facebook is a whole hell of a lot more integrated into our lives than MySpace could even dream of. If that is going to be one of your retorts to this post, please save it.
The truth is, people don’t like change and that is what is preventing all of the Google+ evangelists from getting their social graph to migrate with them. So we’re going to have to keep changing along with Facebook. It’s the dirty, nasty truth. Your opinions and assessments of the platforms don’t matter, got that? It took me a bit to swallow that pill.
The Bad News
If history is any indication, people aren’t going to like these changes. If history is any indication, Facebook couldn’t care less whether you like them or not. Suck it up because this is the unfortunate truth, Facebook is on a mission. They want to own the word social on the web, and your little complaints aren’t stopping that train. So unless you want to give up your precious Facebook, today’s most prominent and popular social network and communication platform, you better just deal with it.
The Good News
Well there really isn’t much good news for the average user apart from the fact that Google+ will keep Facebook on it’s toes and “innovating” (read as “copying”). Maybe these new changes being released today will blow our minds, maybe users will LOVE it, but given how people dislike change, I highly doubt it.
You could migrate to Google+ but that has it’s own set of complications.
For us, at True Voice Media, we LOVE that Facebook keeps making changes and pulling the rug out from under your feet. It keeps us in business, it’s what we do. We keep up with what’s happening in the world of social media. We look at these changes and try to understand how it will help our clients in their businesses. Does it make our job more difficult? At times yes, but it’s what we thrive on, and it’s why our clients continue to work with us.
Shouldn’t you?
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