He looked into her eyes, held her hand and said, "No-ones understands me better than you do ". She quickly withdrew her palm from his hold.. her eyes filled with disappointment..
with a heavy sigh, she softly replied.. "Facebook does.."
Yes, that is how a story book, 5 years later would read. Why? I guess we all know why..
Orkut, Myspace, Hi5, Facebook, Google+... Each one of us has used so many SNS and so frequently.
Initially, these sites provided Me with a means to connect to my friends living far and wide... Today, when I log in, I see loads of information... shared, liked, uploaded by my friends. I see hundreds of interesting products, thousands of opportunities... among all these I find it difficult to spot updates about my real friends.
The real news that would matter to me is lost in the huge pile of, usually unwanted, information pushed my way.
Initially, through these sites I could talk incessantly with my friends...
today all I do is, wish them on their birthdays.. and a casual occasional remark on their photographs..
With an account at feature rich networking sites, we think we are so well connected.. But today who is really well connected to us are Sellers, advertisers and spammers.
Facebook for instance,if you ask me, It isn't Social networking at all, this has turned into social marketing...
We have told them all about ourselves, shared our photos, our important life events.. our dreams and our aspirations tooo.... the innumerable Likes that we have hit.. the random +1's we have plussed.. All of these data about yourself, is safely tucked away with Google or may be Facebook.
Careful analysis of this data, (which Google and facebook are intelligent enough to perform) reveals loads about us.. Collectively all these websites (OOPS.. I mean the amiable Social Networking Sites..) would know more about you than your shadow could have ever learnt. Currently they use these information for targetted advertisements.. which is quite acceptable, but imagine what future has in store.. Facebook could proximate all our behavior and life events in advance...
Just giving you a look into future:
- A guy gets dumped by his girlfriend.. He Logs on.. and He gets suggestions of propective girlfriends.. Ohh isn't that greatt!!
- You have brief quarrel with your Husband...He gets suggestions about top divorce-lawyers.. :p Or may be taking it a step further.. his wall could have a column , Suggesting him his most perfect match across the world...
how about:
Girls You May Like to date
Pretty Jane
1 mutual friend
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Kool Kristen
0 mutual friend
Add Friend
If you posted a picture that made you look a little chubbier than the last one, you could find hundreds of gyms and slimming centres approaching you..
If you were seeing ads of Detective Agencies everytime you logged on... It wouldn't be without a reason. Be sure that something fishy might be going on behind your back, of which you aren't but this site is aware of.
Beware! If your friend got furious with you.. the site could be showing him the best guns in the world.. and information on how to shoot at sight..
And it all sums up to marketing... we, who think are being served with a platter of free networking.. are actually falling prey to endless marketing...
The stone of marketing can pounce into the lake of users in numerous ways... what we are yet to see is how far and wide the ripples will go!!