Facebook is the friend-connecting platform that connects you with people around the world
Melissa Gibbons, Production Manager
Facebook is like a treasure hunt. You start by tracking people, and when you discover each other you re-connect. These days, the social media app that almost everyone is on sharing ‘premium photos’ is Instagram, but Facebook was at the dawn of the social media boom. Since 2008 I became a member of Facebook and thanks to that it has globally connected me and re-connected me with people. That’s why the “10-year challenge” is a true blast-from-the-past for those of us who were members of this “friend network” since it became popular in 2008-2009. If you are part of that challenge, you are definitely devoted to sharing the differences between your past and present, because we all once took super grouchy photos of our adolescence.
Facebook is the “OG” of the social media platforms and it never fails to disappoint to connect one another in this globally connected modern world. But the “friend” connecting app has slowly been left behind. A lot of its competitors (Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat to name a few) have become more popular. But why? Platforms like Twitter and Instagram get straight to the point. An example — one great photo: boom! Instagram. One great story: boom! Twitter. Facebook carries so much content from photo albums, to events, news and memes. It’s just to too much. And that much content can either overwhelm people and scare them away, or draw the attention of people and become a horrifying time wasting app. On that note, Mark Zuckerberg (creator and owner of the social media platform) probably doesn’t want his baby to be forgotten and has to find ways to innovate, hence the Facebook and Instagram union now. After all, the reality is that Millennials spend way more time on Instagram and Snapchat and their parents are the ones sneaking onto Facebook regularly.
As an international student who has travelled and lived in many different parts of the world, I have really learned to appreciate Facebook. I have been able to keep up with the growing of my far away personal relationships. With Facebook I’m aware of who is finishing a degree, getting married, having kids, travelling the world, making political and cynical jokes and in general making a difference around the world. It makes it easier to trace the steps of the people that were once were (or still are) a part of your life even though they are miles away. Although the networking site may seem out-dated to some, it still serves its purpose, and that is connecting people.