Whither Friendster? Whither Facebook? Whither the next big thing?
when the rubble clears from the great friendster crash of '04, i will have nothing. ben will have nothing. none of us will have anything. no more friends. no more testimonials. no more instant self-assurance nor affirmation of life's few treasures. nothing. zero. abcess. lack. waste. enemies.
Danny Gibson wrote that testimonial for me in 2003, and ( Read more... )
Danny Gibson wrote that testimonial for me in 2003, and ( Read more... )
They may have added some shiny gewgaws in the last few years, but honestly, it's been so long since I used it with any regularity that I just wouldn't know. There was just no reason to log in because, well, I had set up my page. That was that done with.
MySpace is exactly the same. I have no idea why it's more popular, unless there's a real market for a version of Friendster that induces epileptic seizures in child molesters.
As for untapped internet potential, I want to see a version of MySpace or Friendster or Little Lord Fauntleroy's Club For Those Who Could Afford College Facebook that doesn't list your favorite bands, but does list skills, and areas of specialized knowledge. So that if, for instance, I'm absolutely fucking stymied as to how to install my new garbage disposal, I can go on this website and click on my friend who has "plumber" listed as a skill, and send him a message asking why I'm stuck. Turn one of these sites into a collective of shared resources, rather than a way to cruise for fourteen year old poontang.
That being said, I'd also like to see some good porn on the internet for once. I mean honestly, it's like water water everywhere, and not a drop to drink.
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As for not listing your favorite bands, yeah, it would be nice if there were some way to know people beyond comparing taste in cultural products. Or heck, make it much more literal: why is there no favorite snack food category? "French toast vs. eggs" category? "Crepes--savory or sweet" category?
So, what does the internet do well: it allows people who are geographically distant to connect up over issues of shared interest (cooking, gardening, bringing down the military power of the US). But maybe we need (as you point out Dan) some way to connect over needs--which are not shared, but asymmetrical. (Like various RPG quests--Help A who will Help B who will Help You.) I think I did read an article once about an internet favor coupon system, but I'm terribly afraid of the porn I might find if I google that phrase.
Hilariously, while I'm typing this, my high school friend emailed me to ask if I knew any illustrators--her friend has written a comics script. But this raises another question (recently brought up in a post by my friend Casey): can we really become friends with people online, or do we still need some face-time--and if so, is that the mark of a particular cultural moment, or is that a biological need on our part?
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As far as making friends online goes, I'd say it's feasible. For instance, I met my friend Elaina on livejournal, who in turn introduced me to a friend she also met on livejournal named Laura, who I'll be marrying in June. So that's an internet success story for ya' right there.
By and large though, I'd say I do tend to lump friends online into two categories: actual friends that I happen to do most of my weekday interaction with online, and e-friends. The latter would be those who I have known for years, and would even say I know pretty well, but have never actually met in real life. Folks can cross over between each group, but for the most part they're pretty distinct categories. I can't speak for everyone, but unless I know someone well enough to really have their style of speech down, I just can't shake the feeling that the person I'm speaking to on the internet is an interchangable response that's just generated out of my computer. (And when I can, it really relies on someone's internet persona being the same as their real life personality. And doesn't that open a whole other can of worms.)
And hey, someone needs a comic artist? *jumps up and down and waves*
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as for connecting to people online vs. in person, the book Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam claims that fuller human interaction can only take place in certain situations where you're not really interested--that's a terrible description on my part, but here's some examples: church is better than a porsche forum, because in the latter you only get to talk about cars, whereas in church you can talk about anything. (some people have taken issue with this, for clear reasons--can you really talk about anything in church?)
putnam isn't the only one to argue that "weak ties" are better for transmitting novel information ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weak_tie )--you know, like, you get more out of living in an apartment building with acquaintances than you would living by yourself and being in email contact with just your closest friends.
(as for whether people are the same in different environments, that's the can of worms that ate detroit.)
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Tell that to the casual encounters section of Craigslist.
As far as the comic-writin' friend goes, feel free to give them my e-mail if they're interested.
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why did it become so popular in brazil?
and does it have any features you would steal for a mythical Best Social Networking Site Ever? let's design a dream--the BSNSE. (or do you think DSNS sounds better?)
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long tail
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