Food for thought: The spy who sold out
Forgiving a pretty face
Facebook to agencies: how will people share your story?
Is “The Pitch” an accurate reflection of our industry?
A new book by David Kirkpatrick called The Facebook Effect landed in stores last week. I haven’t read it (yet) but the New York Times, in its review, excerpted a paragraph that caught my attention:
“Members of Facebook’s radical transparency camp, Zuckerberg included, believe more visibility makes us better people. Some claim, for example, that because of Facebook, young people today have a harder time cheating on their boyfriends or girlfriends. They also say that more transparency should make for a more tolerant society in which people eventually accept that everybody sometimes does bad or embarrassing things.”
So, what does everyone think? Will social media exposure make us better people?
Vlad Dascalu
June 15, 2010 @ 9:47 am
I doubt that Facebook makes us “better people” (at least its a little early to claim such grave remarks). On the other hand I do believe it persuades us make wiser choices about where you’re displaying certain actions or affections especially in the realm of relationships. I acquired this lesson first hand ;)
Zuckerberg did make a better version of MySpace and he did become one of the youngest billionaires of all time, but… it ain’t changin’ the human psyche anytime soon.. common.
Give yourself a break Z.
Melanie
June 15, 2010 @ 10:36 am
I also don’t think that Facebook makes us better people – better connected yes, but overall better, that’s an overstatement (I almost want to qualify this comment from Mr Z as being arrogant).
As per being more tolerant, well, I feel we are being tolerant enough with bad/embarrassing behaviours, to the point of not even seeing it as a problem but as a joke – thanks in part to Facebook.
I hope that this Facebook book gives a fair point of view of both the good and the not so good side effects of the phenomenon.
Miranda Voth
June 15, 2010 @ 11:00 am
Facebook does not make me a better person. It causes more problems in all types of relationships that I never had before Facebook. I think I’m more jealous and creepy (overall) because of it. And I feel proud of myself when I don’t go on for a couple weeks.
That being said, I think it’s a great way to connect and share parts of my life that I couldn’t necessarily do without the site. But, I share with a sensor in social media spaces. So at least online, I’m a better person.
Did I just ruin my rep by commenting here?
Dave Hamilton
June 15, 2010 @ 11:02 am
You’re rep is impervious Miranda! And you’re comment very well put.
d
Randy Stein
June 15, 2010 @ 11:53 am
I worry about the impact that Facebook has on teens. There’s enough pressure on teens to be cool/hip etc. as it is. Now with Facebook, it seems like if you don’t have hundreds (thousands?) of friends you’re less cool than those that do.
And pressure to post interesting photos/exploits, etc. seems to be mounting as well.
In other words, facebook puts your life/personality/social status under the microscope for all to see and judge. And for a teenager, that’s a lot of pressure.
I say if you’re an adult and you choose to sign-up for Facebook, great. If you think it makes you a better person, great.
Is it a positive tool for teens? I highly doubt it.
Andy
June 15, 2010 @ 12:00 pm
I’m fairly sure that if there was a real poll taken, it would find that there hasn’t been a rise or fall in the amount of cheating/lying, only a rise in the people caught.
Facebook may connect us all better but by doing so it only connects our online personas. Some have a thicker screening process than others. When it comes to divulging personal information on facebook, most take the time to be fairly cautious and aware of what they are posting (gotta love the friends who don’t). I find it hard to believe that we are becoming better people overall when it’s not really us there to begin with.
Thom Antonio
June 15, 2010 @ 12:28 pm
I am a way better person since Facebook came along.
I’ve had to give up all of my lying, cheating, stealing, and bad behaviour.
Andy
June 15, 2010 @ 12:59 pm
Don’t believe anything Thom says… it’s his online persona talking…
Jamie King
June 15, 2010 @ 1:24 pm
Star Magazine, Us weekly, People Magazine, etc. have been making the lives of celebs transparent for years and we still see them doing ridiculous things all the time. I think there are parallels between Facebook and said magazines that we can probably learn from.
Hey, did you hear Charlie Sheen’s Mercedes was Found at Bottom of a Cliff – Again? Ohhhhhh Charlie.
Dave Hamilton
June 15, 2010 @ 2:37 pm
Thom Antonio… The Charlie Sheen of Design, perhaps?
Leilah
June 15, 2010 @ 3:52 pm
The thing I’ve noticed is that many folks I know have a Facebook ’strategy’. There always seems to be some unique masterplan for the why some people make the Facebook cut, and some don’t. Or, alternatively, why some people use ‘add to a group’ functionality to still maintain numbers of ‘friends’ without allowing for reciprocal communication.
Before Facebook, there was a kind of Social Darwinism at play. People maintained relationships because there were strong foundations for doing so. But Facebook spurs the resurrection of faded relationships, growing our circles to include ghosts from the past.
I’m new to Facebook, and charge myself with similar behaviour. Facebook is the more time consuming equivalent of that moment when you run into someone on the street and falsely promise to get together for drinks.
Dave Hamilton
June 15, 2010 @ 5:58 pm
Well said Leilah. I suspect those ‘ghosts from the past’ as you call them are low grade peers with little impact on your personal behaviour too, ultimately refuting the argument that more social = greater morality.
Brook Johnston
June 15, 2010 @ 6:56 pm
C’mon folks – let’s be honest here.
I can’t think of a stronger correlation than the one between a) how cool you are, and b) how many Facebook friends and cleverly tagged pictures you have
So does Facebook make you a better person?
Only if you like being cool….
Jacoub Bondre
June 15, 2010 @ 9:46 pm
Facebook will NOT make us better people in the sense of making us more understanding, or giving us stronger morals.
But Social media will make us better. Better liars, more sneaky, and better at concealing the dirty secrets that keep us up at night. The things you have done that would cause your won mother to reject you.
Everyone has those types of skeletons . . . right?
John Cranney
June 16, 2010 @ 9:05 am
Facebook makes me a more unproductive person… does that count?
Harvey Carroll
June 16, 2010 @ 9:51 am
Wait a minute. Can other people see the stuff that I put on Facebook? I thought it was more of a personal journal where I can capture my thoughts. This changes everything…
Miranda Voth
June 16, 2010 @ 11:08 am
Hahaha! Harvey, that’s a whole other topic! Facebook is not a diary!
Thom Antonio
June 16, 2010 @ 1:21 pm
Has anybody seen my Mercedes? The keys were in it and…
Meg
June 16, 2010 @ 10:45 pm
Does social media/Facebook make me a better person?
Probably not.
A more connected person?
Yes.
Of course it’s a great platform to connect and share. But, generally speaking, I would say Facebook has turned “normal” people into narcissists.
However, for brands, I would say yes. It has forced brands to think in conversation and not control. It has opened up a dialogue between companies and consumers. The focus has shifted to building trust, relationships and realizing the importance of retention over straight acquisition. The savvy brands are really seeing the benefits. And so are the consumers.
Dave Hamilton
June 18, 2010 @ 2:02 pm
@Meg: I totally agree with you Meg. The real time dialogue forces brands to respect the relationship it has with consumers in a new and dynamic way. I’d be curious to hear what brands you think are doing great job at having that dialogue with you?
Meg
June 28, 2010 @ 4:28 pm
I’ve had some great interactions with brands, but my fav to date would be Boston Pizza.
One night I got together with a bunch of friends to watch a hockey game and I mentioned on Twitter that we were heading to Boston Pizza.
When we got there, the waitress told me they weren’t playing the hockey game, only UFC. So we left and went to Shoeless Joe’s across the street instead.
About 10 minutes later Boston Pizza @ replied me and asked where I was sitting and said they’d like to treat my friends and I to some free apps. (Which I thought was pretty cool…) I replied back and explained why we left.
The next day, Boston Pizza sent me a DM asking for my email address. The restaurant manager emailed me a voucher for $50 and apologized again. Needless to say, it was unexpected and very appreciated. The tone of the messages sent through Twitter/email were human and real, not corporate. To me, this was a great example of the new world of customer relationship management.
Thom Antonio
July 6, 2010 @ 9:46 pm
Forbes commissioned a study to examine what are lives would be like in 2020. They made reference in an article to your ‘whuffle’. Read about here:
http://www.forbes.com/2010/04/08/reputation-facebook-twitter-technology-data-companies-10-reputation.html
If you think Facebook makes us better people, wait ’til this becomes a reality.