Why Facebook?

Who does not have a Facebook account? I bet, majority of us will definitely claim to having one. Once used to be an alternative of Friendster and a respite for bored office employees playing Farmville to kill the boredom or redundancy of office work, now became one of the most interactive, the most viewed social networking site in the planet.

Digital buzz has conjured interesting numbers of Facebook which really defines how Facebook now plays a major role in the society. Philippines is number 8 as per Socialbaker's tally.

What does this tell us?

Facebook is in our midst not just to connect everyone or to serve as one's personal photo album, or to express ones emotion, etc. It is also there to cater to a lot of other fields, arts, science, technology, transportation, business, finance, environment, etc., name it, Facebook has it. It evolved from an ordinary social networking site to a platform where everyone can promote a cause, advertise a product, share a breaking news or exchange ideas of social significance.

Companies, non profit organizations, etc maintain an official Facebook page to allow consumers and clients to interact with the product. It provides a chance for these companies to advertise new releases, trends and even fads to their consumers at no cost at all. While consumers can comment on a product and in some cases, even get an immediate feedback. Undeniably, even corporate executives maintain a Facebook account to enable them to reach their constituents and yes, even valued clients.

Likewise, a lot of private groups or individuals utilize Facebook to champion for their causes such as animal cruelty, climate change, drug or substance abuse, violence against women and children, etc. It serves as a medium for these champion causes' voice to be heard, to serve as a forum for discussion and to eventually effect behavioral change.

This social networking site caters to a whole range of audiences. Although restricted by internet connectivity, yet, this is not even considered a luxury as one can easily pay Php 20.00 in an internet shop for an hour surf of the page.

Such popularity of Facebook has influenced the traditional forms of media that most of us have been exposed to. Even a television network, a radio station or a newspaper company has corresponding Facebook accounts. Its existence has eventually defined what new media is and perhaps will continue to linger for long.


Photo credit:
http://5.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/facebook-bullying.jpg