Unless you have been hiding under a rock, you have noticed that your Facebook experience just got worse. Also, you probably just found out that Geico can save you money on car insurance, but that is another subject for another time.
Facebook has come out with some major changes to the behemoth social networking site. The change has been met with the wrath and disgruntlement of thousands, as well as validating the surging Google+.
But mostly, I’ve just heard people say they don’t like it. Common complaints I’ve heard are 1) People don’t like the new layout. 2) Many dislike the distracting and over-sharey “ticker.” 3)Most users aren’t too happy with how Facebook determines the “top stories”, and 4) Most seem to think the new feature which makes it so you can see when someone de-friends you takes “Facebook stalking” to a whole new level.
Customer satisfaction? The only thing in my my news feed are more complaints:
- “Really disliking the new Facebook…”
- “Why fix something if it’s not broken? I hate the new Facebook ”
- “Trying to get used to this new layout. I wish Facebook would stop changing things.”
- “What the #$^@ is up with that ticker in the upper right? Do I really need to know THAT much about everyone?”
Invariably, new Facebook groups are formed–like the cleverly named“I hate the new Facebook” group, which currently has close to 20,000 members.
This is all followed by people debating whether users should or shouldn’t complain about changes like these, spawning posts like “if you don’t like it, just delete your profile. It’s free, no one is making you use it.”
And this is the question: Do people have a right to complain when something is free? (Or do people have the right to complain about other people complaining? But that discussion might mess with the space-time continuum.)
After all, Facebook is free, right? Is it in poor taste to complain when something is offered to you gratis? The internet delivers content and services free of charge, which has revolutionized our lives and how we communicate–but it has also created a culture of “keyboard courage,” entitlement, and trolling. People expect things to be free and are irritated when they get anything short of the convenient user-experience we expect. (I’m guilty of this, as banner ads and auto-play videos on news sites frequently annoy me.)
Knowing full well that there are far more important issues to discuss, I am instead going to provide two sides to the argument–the “anti-complain” argument, which says that you shouldn’t complain about new features of a free site, and the “pro-complain” camp–which argues that you have every right to complain.
Anti-Complain
Quit your belly aching!
If it is so bad, delete your account and go to Google+. Tell everyone you know who isn’t on Facebook how terrible Facebook is (if you know anyone who isn’t on Facebook, because let’s be honest–if they aren’t, do they really exist?).
Besides, it is free. How would you feel if you decided to host a party for your neighborhood, invited everyone over, gave them refreshments, provided entertainment, only to hear endless complaints about the food and music?
And if you are bugged by the increasingly complicated privacy settings, and how frequently you have to update them, what were you expecting? Facebook is a massive corporation, with database full of extremely valuable consumer preferences. Did you really expect them not to do anything to profit from it?
Pro-Complain
Sure, Facebook users aren’t paying for Facebook usage. At least not monetarily (and won’t ever, contrary to the countless recent posts of Facebook’s rumored secret plot to start charging for membership–see their own fan page, where they address this rumor).
But that doesn’t mean we aren’t paying. We are paying Facebook by freely giving up our key demographic information, our “likes” and “dislikes,” our time, our networks, and our opinions. Facebook profits by selling advertising space to companies who market to people who have precisely those “likes” and “dislikes” and that exact demographic information. So we have every right to express our complaints as paying customers.
Besides, if I go into a restaurant or clothing store, and leave because I’m treated rudely, don’t I have a right to complain–because I wasn’t treated right? Of course. I have “the right” to complain. Just because I didn’t spend money, I was still a patron.
In conclusion, Facebook has caused fascinating cultural and societal changes. Human interactions involving relationship building, marketing, communication, or the simple act of getting to know someone have all been dramatically changed by Facebook. People are addicted to Facebook and spend more time there than any other site–so it’s only natural that they would cling to something that they are comfortable with.
As for my opinion, I am leaning far more towards the “if you don’t like it, delete your account and go to Google+” camp. Then again, this isn’t the first change, and it won’t be the last. Perhaps whining is just perpetually part of the experience.
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Craig Christensen is a guest writer on Publius Online. For more of Craig’s thoughts on culture, politics, sports, and nonsense, follow him on Twitter: @CraigDChris
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