The Facebook Effect Part III

In the last section of The Facebook Effect, Kirkpatrick continues to discuss the many programs being implemented on Facebook. "Why were photos and events so good?...It was because despite all their shortcomings they had one thing no one else had" (pg. 217). The website had created simple concepts, but unique to their site because other competitors did not have them. Zuckerberg stated that "we have the most powerful distribution mechanism that's been created in a generation" (pg. 217). There is definitely no arguing that statement. This social "distribution mechanism" allowed users to use applications, play games, create notes, upload photos, update personal statuses, message and connect with people from all over the world, and all on one site. "Facebook was becoming it's own self-contained universe" (pg. 227). Facebook did tackle some problems, a major one being Beacon, which was an alert service that affiliated itself with many consumer driven websites. Many people who purchased items on these Beacon affiliated sites would be asked very briefly if they would want their purchases published onto Facebook. Several cases of users that were unaware of this had their private purchases published in the mini-feeds of their friend's on Facebook, and hence caused much controversy. Beacon was invasive and misused personal information, and was completely shut down.
Companies have also begun to market themselves on Facebook, by creating their own pages that users can become "fans" of. It's almost like a new form of advertising, and in this case, many consumers can interact with the companies. For example, Mazda asked fans to help design a car for 2018. Ben & Jerry's asked the people on their Facebook page what their new flavor should be. Facebook users that interact and "like" or write on these fan pages, their activity is published into their friend's mini feeds. This allows however many friends you have on Facebook to see that you "liked" or wrote on Ben & Jerry's page, and sometimes might even lead others to go to that webpage as well. This new form of interactive marketing seems much more efficient in getting consumers to recognize companies. Just recently I went to a wedding, and my mom had asked the photographer for his business card. He handed her a card and also said that you could find them on Facebook as well, if she wanted to see pictures of other functions they have done. Companies and even small businesses seem to be putting more emphasis on promoting and building up their Facebook page, even more so than their actual company webpage.
In all honesty, I really do believe Facebook has good intentions. I'll be the first to admit that I have wasted several hours on it doing nothing but chatting or going through people's profiles. However, with all the programs and interactions that it allows us to accomplish it essentially connects our world, and if we don't abuse it for unproductive or wrong reasons, it can really be a beneficial aspect of our lives.