What is it that people have against Facebook? Why is it seen as a lesser medium than Twitter? I’m fascinated.
As I flew across the country last night, I decided to catch up with some friends on Facebook, and by chance, got involved in a conversation about how people use the site, and more interestingly, how people feel about it … and how they feel about Twitter.
Does a preference for using Facebook make you, somehow, a lesser individual? Does it mean you’re missing out because you choose to make your connections there instead of on Twitter? Many people seem to feel that way. The number of comments that I read that indicated the same — one referred to Facebook users as “the wallflowers of social media” — are more than I can recount. But it’s interesting. Why do people feel this way?
Is Twitter waiting to corner Facebook and take its lunch money?
I certainly hope not.
Twitter, Twitter, Twitter. Is it even possible to discuss social media without it taking center stage (and kicking every other site into the wings in the process)? Many of us look to it as THE driving force of social media. But is it? For many of us, sure. If we’re looking for immediacy, to find new blog posts, breaking news and, sure, a few laughs. But what about the 240,000,000 people who use Facebook, but who don’t give a rat’s back end about Twitter?
The other day, Brian Solis was good enough to share some really interesting stats about Facebook and its users. After reading them, you might feel very differently about it.
Facebook may not be the cool kid in school anymore, but is it any less useful than it was when it was all bright, shiny and new? I don’t think so. I find Facebook to be an environment in which I can connect with people — both business associates and friends alike — on a much more personal level than I ever could on Twitter. It holds the promise of a greater bond. While it might sound lofty, isn’t that what social media is all about?
Facebook is an incredibly powerful medium with the strength of 250,000,000 voices behind it. No matter how the media, and we as Twitterphiles, might malign it or snicker at its users, we shouldn’t discount its reach, nor its resonance with everyone … who’s NOT using Twitter.
