FrozenDreamer

In a world where we are literally spoiled for choice when it comes to websites offering services, images and food, I would like to know what it is that makes Facebook such an addictive force and why so many people are flocking to the site to get their daily fix.

Facebook is now worth a few BILLION quid, which is really scary considering how old it is, and the fact that it’s a simple website. It’s a brilliant philosophy; Facebook provide a shell for people to play with, nerdy folk (not emplyed by FB) build applications which fit into the Facebook infrastructure meaning that millions of people can join in on the fun, loading applications, playing games and generally wasting their lives. All the while, Facebook can sit back while advertising revenue streams through the door and into their coffers.

So with a multi-billion pound operation raking in the dosh from the West-coast of the US, how is it that such a simple idea manages to hook people into the site and keep them coming back for more, day after day? Lets have a look at some of the facts:

People need to feel connected to eachother.
Let’s face the facts here, people like to know that other people are thinking about them. The more people the better. What Facebook does is it allows you to broadcast yourself a lot easier and faster than any other website has in the past. You can connect to someone and then they will know every move you make, every person you connect to and every group you talk with. This is fulfilling the basic need for people to know they are being listened too.

People need to be nosey.
What better way to wile the hours away than to stick your nose into other people’s business without them really knowng you’re doing it. Relationships, friends, hobbies, purchases and moods… there’s little you can’t find out about someone on Facebook, unless they’ve got you set to ‘limited profile’ in which case they’re just being anal!

Employers love it, and so does Mr Skinner.
Since Facebook took of, people have been ‘taking off’. In other words, some people have become so addicted to the site, that they bunk of work, school and any other commitment they should be attending to in their normal life. Employees have been fired from their jobs because their bosses have seen their activities on Facebook. Items such as ‘watching the game today‘, ‘isn’t the beach beautiful today‘, and my personal favorite, ‘what a night, I have a killer hangover‘ all landing people in some serious hot water.

Gay or Straight… the eternal question.
Let’s use a scenario for this one. You get to work one day, get a coffee and sit down at your desk to start the daily grind. You’re a happy, single gay guy and not a care in the world, but you’ve noticed something different in the office. Something that isn’t the same as yesterday. Someone new! Someone sexy!
The only problem is you can’t tell if he’s straight or gay let alone available! The only thing going for you is that you know his name! So you log onto Facebook, add him as a friend (after you’ve introduced yourself face-to-face of course) and hey presto you can check if he’s ‘in the club’, single and by looking at past relationships you can tell if you’re his type as well! All that’s left for you to do is to seduce him in the canteen and do naughty things in the service elevator!

It solves the problem of setting up your own website.
Who needs one when you have a Facebook profile?

I haven’t seen them in years.
Facebook has so many users that it is practically impossible not to find friends that you haven’t seen in years. Perhaps you lost touch with someone because you moved house when you were five, or maybe you dumped someone you probably shouldn’t have. What if you worked with someone that you hated and you want to tell them why. Facebook makes it easy to find them and tell them what’s on your mind, no matter what it is.

Looking at everything we’ve spoken about already, it’s fairly easy to figure out why people flock to the website morning, noon and night. It makes your own tedious life look dazzling and interresting when in actual fact your stuck in front of your computer screen munching on Pringles and slugging down Fanta.

I think the really amusing this is that I don’t care if that’s the case, just as long as I have more friends than you.

Facebook and FrozenDreamer.com are officially joined at the hip!
I’ve added an application to this website which will allow me to post to both websites at the same time. Funky Chicken!