I wonder if one day, instead of sitting on the front porch, telling stories to my grandchildren, I’ll just give them access to my Facebook account and call it a day. It’s got more pictures in it than any photo album I could imagine keeping, all my friends from the past and present are part of it, my favorite videos, stories, songs, etc. are all there for the world to see. Something that started as just a fun networking site has now become the virtual storage unit for my life. As this site continues to grow and become an integral part of all of our lives, I’m wondering what else will we use Facebook for in the future? Just how deep will this social networking site penetrate our lives over the upcoming years?
(I just really loved this stock photo from Veer)
I started to wonder this because I just read an article (via Mashable) regarding Facebook beta testing voice chat. There goes using Skype, now I can use Facebook in replace of or close to in replace of Twitter- I publish to both anyways and so do many that I follow; Flickr- everyone puts their pics on Facebook; YouTube- Video sharing and searching; Google Alerts- Those I’m friends with generally post great articles regarding the topics I subscribe to Google for; YahooReader- same as Google Alerts; AIM/iChat- You can use Facebook for that… and now voice chat!
Will we one day be able to simply “log in” to our lives by logging into Facebook. Medical records, financial accounts, email, social networking, etc. all accessible through one location, easily available and all personalized? Imagine the targeting, or Amazon.com-like recommendations on products, music, photos, videos, upcoming events, medical procedures, special promotions, real estate, jobs, etc. that could be customized just for us, based on what’s part of our profile. Seems logical and almost convenient, but also eerily George Orewell-ish.
I can’t help but wonder if it will mean convenience for a world with less time and more interest in aggregated information. Will my “entitled” generation feel they deserve for some site to just “get them” and make recommendations on what they will like. Although we love finding things out on our own, we also love it when our interests and personalities are taken into account. Personalized choices are already starting to appear in Facebook with recommendations of pages we may like to fan or individuals we may want to friend, based on our profile information. And really, who doesn’t love it when someone says to them, “Oh you would just love this! I saw it and immediately thought of you!”
So, as I grow older and am starting to post more and more things to Facebook, I’m starting to see it as a little footprint I’ll get to leave on this Earth. It’s my documentary for everything… from that one crazy weekend to the path my career has taken to failed relationships and my favorite movies. Facebook has become more than just a way to share my day-to-day menutia. It’s a virtual archive of my life… Fascinating.
