How Facebook Exposes Our

Thanks to the powers of Facebook, namely its status wall and like buttons, the whole world has been ushered into a new epoch in relationships: the Age of Reveal. Acting true to our nature as social animals, over half a billion of us have joined up to social media in some form.

In the real world every instance of interpersonal interaction is held back by many unseen obstacles, which severely limits the amount of data we’re able to convey. Social norms, mannerisms, cultural awareness, body language and even the possibility of a hostile reaction from people within hearing distance are ever present. Also, the time factor is always a constraint in any real life social exchange. People won’t wait around for you to finally vitriolically lash out what you really think of the situation, nor do your words linger around in the atmosphere for others to see for days onwards – just in the minds of those who heard it initially.

You might adore drifting pictures or be looking for Falcon spares, and only find out if I post a link to my Facebook page. If I ‘like’ them, that’s an endorsement; if I’ve had a poor experience I can post this to my wall. organisations should be aware of just how many people can now be exposed to negative publicity like this.

Openbook is a website that aggregates status updates from Facebook’s half billion users. With Openbook, even a non-Facebook user can have a grand tour of what an average Facebook user typically likes the cyberspace to see. Some mundane (“hate laundry”), some philosophical (“How do you know you are not living in the Matrix?”), and some too revealing (I am cheating on you and loving it!”), but the general sense is that many of these are not usually something you can physically hear on a daily basis.

But Facebook also allows us to reveal a more sophisticated image of who we are. By visiting a friends’ Profile page, we get a glimpse into the list of products, ideas, people or phrases he or she had gone out the way to click the Like button on. Your friend wants us to know what he or she likes about the world, and whether intentionally or not, wants us to see them in a particular light according to the subjects they pushed the Like button on. In general, these details of selective affection are genuine given that there are virtually no monetary incentives for anyone to click any of these Like buttons. Essentially, the Like buttons are the mainstream method to depict ourselves in the 21st century.

Each instance of “Like” that is added to a user’s profile is viewed as an idea, character, product or organisation that the user would prefer us to associate them with.

Ultimately, the population’s psychological requirement to be heard can be used to help spread the word about new businesses, reinforce the brand of existing businesses, pass around special offers and deals, and engage people more deeply with the brand values. Facebook should not be underestimated in its power in today’s marketing environment.

To see an example of a Facebook fan page that is successfully interacting with its users, check out NZ Performance Car or Drift Legends.