Is Facebook the new Walmart of the internet?

Just curious with the forums dying but yet facebook growing, is it possible that outside of youtube and facebook the internet is turning into main street?

 

Two decades ago, we had a private online space called Compuserve that early technology adopters used to email each other and transfer files. Then America Online came and killed off Compuserve. Then Netscape brought everyone the open web and killed off America Online. People transferred a tiny percentage of their tv watching time so they could learn to surf the web. Then Facebook came along and people moved back into a private online space. Facebook is basically a free Compuserve with half a billion people.

But it turns out what people really want to do over the web is watch tv.

Netflix?s Internet traffic overtakes Web surfing

Netflix movies and TV shows account for nearly 30 percent of traffic into homes during peak evening hours, compared with less than 17 percent for Web browsing.

 

Well, nobody really needs to Google things anymore.

Just go to Wikipedia if you want to learn about something.
If you want news, go to CNN/MSN/Yahoo.
If you want sports, ESPN.
Want videos, go to YouTube.
Want books, go to Amazon.
Want movie info, go to IMDB.
Want to talk about Star Wars, come here.
Nobody really needs to browse the web anymore, unless you're looking for random pictures or working on a research project.

I also remember when the super-cool/super-arrogant people at school would create their own website just about them, paying for it using their parents' credit card. Then MySpace came along for everyone, and for free. Now Facebook is on top. People think Twitter will overtake Facebook, but I don't see that happening. Something will eventually overtake Facebook, though.

 

I don't use Facebook. I have a profile; it's necessary to access content on some websites, which drives me a little nuts.

My lack of interest in Facebook stems from a number of directions. I'm extremely uncomfortable with using my real name for anything publicly while online. I dislike the idea of losing intellectual property rights to any extent regarding my own photos. Facebook essentially is about communicating with people you know, but I'm pretty comfortable with communicating with the people I know on the level I'm currently communicating with them. I don't really care what coworker X put on his wall last night, but I wouldn't mind hearing the story face to face. My social use of the Internet is essentially to communicate with people I don't know, to see alternate viewpoints, to challenge them, and to have my own views challenged; that's pretty much the opposite of what Facebook is about as I see it. Finally, perhaps not insignificantly, I'm obstinate. Facebook is a toy that I have about as much interest in as a Barbie doll, I don't want it, I don't need it, and so I won't open up my profile.

And that pretty much sums it up: it's become such a fundamental part of the Internet as the Internet now exists that I have a profile anyways. Companies don't put things on their own web sites, they put content on Facebook, and I have to use Facebook to see the content. I suppose that Facebook probably considers me a friendless consumer whore while sorting my demographic; I'm surprisingly OK with that.

I think that we're going to see some slow-down in the rate of Internet upheaval. I don't think that Facebook is going anywhere any time soon. I hate to use these words, but it's too big to fail. Or rather, it won't fail because of people going elsewhere. Why would they? They already have all their friends on Facebook. It's the same sort of reason why World of Warcraft is still the 800-pound gorilla of the North American MMO market - it's where all your friends are, so why go elsewhere?

 

I dislike the idea of losing intellectual property rights to any extent regarding my own photos

You retain property rights to your photos. I wouldn't post what I do if that wasn't the case. Just be sure to check the right settings and so on and it's okay.

 

What I found cool about the internet when it came along was that you could get to know people from all over the world. With Facebook you only get to know your friends. Which I why I prefer the boards.

Also, less idle talk here. Which is why I prefer the Senate.

Also, more anonymity here. Which is why I prefer to be SuperWatto...

 

To be fair-if you open up your 'friends' circle enough you'll eventually routinely get friend suggestions for people you've never even heard of. I have some of the TFN VIPs as friends (Mike Stackpole, John Jackson Miller, a few others) on mine and having them as friends has really opened up the door to all manner of people I'm unfamiliar with.

 

Hmmm.
There's this singer I followed for two decades before he became my Facebook friend. And within a year, I'm masking his updates... can't stand the guy!

John Jackson Miller is cool, but are you sure he didn't make you his Facebook friend just so you'll buy his books?

 

I sought him out, actually. Seemed cool enough around the Lit forum.

Plus when Osama was killed, I got to post on his page, "With Count Dooku dead, the end of the war is near." and he didn't delete it.

 

Although, I don't see why I'd mark someone as a friend that's not a friend. Anyone I've got on Facebook I'd consider that to some extent, or at least a decent acquaintance. (in depth conversations or the like)

 

Why talk to anyone on here, then?

I enjoy adding people I don't know on Facebook; that's when things start to get interesting.

 

On here, I'm not publicly giving out my name and stuff like that.

 

Yeah, I also feel much more comfortable discussing atheism and Israel on here than I would on Facebook.

But my point had more to do with those who use Facebook solely as a marketing channel, and those who post mundane status updates. They cannot be found in the Senate.

In fact, for a Star Wars place, this forum is remarkably marketing-free.

 

To be fair the very existence of the forums besides this one and the Amphitheatre is marketing for Star Wars. If a 52-page, God-knows-how-many-words thread about Luke Skywalker's character development going awry is not marketing I don't know what is.

 

That's what I meant... the Senate.

Still - unless Charlemagne19 and ChildOfWinds are secretly actually LFL employees - then even the thread you mention isn't active marketing.

 

I'd argue it is in the 'free-advertising' aspect. Not as much as say, 1999-2005 when TFN was THE place to find spoilers, but it's easily far and away the largest SW fandom in existence.

 

I get the feeling message boards are pretty much dying out. This is most likely the last message board that I post on. I don't really do any other message boards at all. And I don't even come here that much anymore. Other than that, it's all facebook.

 

To be honest finding message boards as large as TFN has always been a failing game, at least in my experience. God knows my other hobbies- the x-files, millennium, alien, predator-have never spawned anything this large, at least as far as I remember.