When we go about our daily lives, we probably only see a handful of people on a regular basis. Seeing others in person regularly makes it easy to keep up with them. We develop and maintain stronger ties when we have chance encounters, casual talk over meals, and plan activities together. Wouldn’t it be great if we also had an opportunity to do all these things with friends and family members we don’t see all the time?
Facebook does just that! With Facebook, you can see what ALL your relatives and friends are up to, be they close family members or distant acquaintances. Don’t approach Facebook from the same technological frame as email; Orlikowksi’s work shows us that doing so could suppress new possibilities with Facebook. Instead, use Facebook as a way to “stay in the loop.” You can keep current with what’s going on in others’ lives with the news feed, e.g. by discovering that your cousin is going on a skiing trip next weekend. Facebook also lets you initiate chance discussions, making it easy keep in touch with acquaintances through light conversation (for example, you can comment on a person’s status with “did you enjoy the concert?”). Lastly, Facebook shows events that people are planning or attending, and you can attend events with people you’d like to get to know better. Of course, you should also post your own status updates, photo albums, and events periodically, so that your friends can keep up with you through the same means.
Or, you can sign up for a classroom training session where we’ll directly show you all the most common usage patterns for Facebook, allowing you to adopt useful workflows right away.
Grudin tells us that there is often more to a technology than performance benefits. For a little time spent learning Facebook, you reap enormous non-performance benefits. Suddenly, you have a way to socialize with people you otherwise may lose contact with. Moreover, your interaction with them can form additional common ground, strengthening your ties with them. It’s also possible to use Facebook as a kind of support group. If you post a particularly gloomy status message or note, people may try to sympathize, cheer you up, or offer advice.
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I like how you incorporate the Grudin reading about non-performance benefits. Showing people how they can reap benefits with a minimum of personal effort is definitely attractive! I think this is a good way to ease the older user into Facebook.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I notice that you spend a great deal of emphasis on the ease with which Facebook users can see what their friends are up to, but I feel that for a older crowd, this may be a double-edged sword. I think that for a generation concerned with privacy, the fact that their status is broadcast for everyone to see may be as much of a deterrent as it is a draw.
I agree with Nzingha about the older generation and privacy. Fact, they are freaked out by the internet, my parents don't even want to host their pictures online. I think many older users will have a lot of concern about pictures and status updates somehow getting to "big brother".
ReplyDeleteA classroom setting is a good way to teach facebook, especially showing common usage patterns. If you could synchronize the way people use facebook, it would become a lot more effective for everyone.