Were social Media platforms truly designed with “Everyone” in mind? With the mandatory switch to Timeline, some users are up in arms that the free platform would dare make a change without giving users an option. A few Months back CNN.com’s Rachel Rodriguez joked,
“Nope it’s not the 2012 election. It’s another Facebook redesign.”
As far as platform categorization goes, I put the most popular channels into simple user/personality types: Facebook is simple enough so that you can be a once in a blue moon user, or a complete addict. Users on Twitter are often there to keep in touch with the world spontaneously and effortlessly; I like to think Twitter was developed with everyone who has ADHD. Dreamers have found their place on Pinterest, as a digital home for their brainstorming, wants, and creative expression, (not unlike the quirky personality types that use Tumblr, just a bit lazier), and don’t even get me started about heavy Foursquare users- they are just boastful.
Even though a few hundred of my friends threaten to get off Facebook, those are empty threats. Let’s be honest, Facebook is like a cult, once you’re in, you’re in. The longer you’re in the harder it is to get out. Users hardly ever really “leave” Facebook, but I can see how they would reallocate time elsewhere.
Interestingly a recent comment on a blog post exposed an individual who opts out of Facebook and Twitter, but has an affinity for Pinterest alone. I could hardly believe these people really existed, until I stumbled across some credible sources. Evidence, below:
Check out this article from the The New York Times explaining how some users have already started to dilute their social presence.
The sad news is, aside from word I hear on the streets, and chatter from my fellow social media addicts, I don’t have any real qualitative proof that users are simplifying their social lives other than the genius that Stephanie Rosenbloom stated:
“-her devotion to one social network is not an act of sentimentality — it’s part of a careful strategy for combating social media burnout. In a time when anyone with Internet access is expected to be engaged on multiple networking sites and keep a day job, Ms. Lawrence decided to focus on a singular site rather than to spread herself thin among a half-dozen.”
So there you have it folks. Seems like this really happening, I don’t dream this stuff up. I’m curious if you in social media land had to pick only ONE channel to play with, what would it be?
‘Cause we are living in a digital world and I’m @Soshalmediagirl XB
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