Comments on: The Decline and Fall of Facebook http://www.annezelenka.com/2007/11/the-decline-and-fall-of-facebook a blog about the connected age Fri, 29 Aug 2008 21:22:27 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Are we running away from Facebook? « Matt’s Musings http://www.annezelenka.com/2007/11/the-decline-and-fall-of-facebook#comment-2191 Are we running away from Facebook? « Matt’s Musings Wed, 28 Nov 2007 22:33:29 +0000 http://www.annezelenka.com/2007/11/the-decline-and-fall-of-facebook#comment-2191 [...] Anne Zelenka suggests that this is because that even while they are tools designed to facilitate social interaction online, “they’re actually unable to intelligently and completely, and in a unified way, represent [actual] social relationships and social interaction”. [...] […] Anne Zelenka suggests that this is because that even while they are tools designed to facilitate social interaction online, “they’re actually unable to intelligently and completely, and in a unified way, represent [actual] social relationships and social interaction”. […]

]]> By: magia3e http://www.annezelenka.com/2007/11/the-decline-and-fall-of-facebook#comment-2190 magia3e Wed, 28 Nov 2007 21:27:45 +0000 http://www.annezelenka.com/2007/11/the-decline-and-fall-of-facebook#comment-2190 Yes, you're right, online interactions are real social interactions. Most of the problems regarding representation of human socio-behavioural interaction (online or otherwise) is in the methods we use to classify them. Relationships and associations arn't as clear-cut as Facebook would have us believe. Nor does Facebook reflect the way that these behave in the real world. There are, however, a few mechanisms for describing 'things' in terms of the actual web of relationships and associations and NOT the categories that they do or don't fall into. Much of this comes from cognitive and behavioural modelling in the psychology-space. Now we just need commentators and developers to understand these issues and incorporate them into applications. M Yes, you’re right, online interactions are real social interactions.

Most of the problems regarding representation of human socio-behavioural interaction (online or otherwise) is in the methods we use to classify them. Relationships and associations arn’t as clear-cut as Facebook would have us believe. Nor does Facebook reflect the way that these behave in the real world.

There are, however, a few mechanisms for describing ‘things’ in terms of the actual web of relationships and associations and NOT the categories that they do or don’t fall into. Much of this comes from cognitive and behavioural modelling in the psychology-space.

Now we just need commentators and developers to understand these issues and incorporate them into applications.

M

]]> By: Joshua Porter http://www.annezelenka.com/2007/11/the-decline-and-fall-of-facebook#comment-2187 Joshua Porter Wed, 28 Nov 2007 15:04:20 +0000 http://www.annezelenka.com/2007/11/the-decline-and-fall-of-facebook#comment-2187 I think part of this problem is just what you mentioned...that because a human brain is evaluating everything...it gets really hard to know what is a good representation and what isn't. And people have differing skills, too. Great writers, for example, are excellent at representing (or communicating) emotion while poor writers aren't. This emoticon, for example, works better in some situations than others. :) I think part of this problem is just what you mentioned…that because a human brain is evaluating everything…it gets really hard to know what is a good representation and what isn’t.

And people have differing skills, too. Great writers, for example, are excellent at representing (or communicating) emotion while poor writers aren’t.

This emoticon, for example, works better in some situations than others.

:)

]]> By: Leigh http://www.annezelenka.com/2007/11/the-decline-and-fall-of-facebook#comment-2185 Leigh Wed, 28 Nov 2007 14:33:35 +0000 http://www.annezelenka.com/2007/11/the-decline-and-fall-of-facebook#comment-2185 I had a similar conversation with a friend who is 26. I asked why he didn't use MSN and instead SKYPE and he said, too many ex-girlfriends. "Well, just block them" i said. "oh leigh. You can tell who blocks you with services and everyone i know checks. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, I just don't want to talk to them" Shit, you can tell who has deleted and blocked you? Who knew? (i'm so old) He gave me the url with the warning, "just careful, it can hurt your feelings or piss you off in the "THEY blocked ME" sort of way." All I have to say is lucky they didn’t have this stuff when I was a teenager or I would have been traumatized by all of it. I had a similar conversation with a friend who is 26. I asked why he didn’t use MSN and instead SKYPE and he said, too many ex-girlfriends.

“Well, just block them” i said.

“oh leigh. You can tell who blocks you with services and everyone i know checks. I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, I just don’t want to talk to them”

Shit, you can tell who has deleted and blocked you? Who knew? (i’m so old)

He gave me the url with the warning,

“just careful, it can hurt your feelings or piss you off in the “THEY blocked ME” sort of way.”

All I have to say is lucky they didn’t have this stuff when I was a teenager or I would have been traumatized by all of it.

]]> By: Anne Z http://www.annezelenka.com/2007/11/the-decline-and-fall-of-facebook#comment-2181 Anne Z Tue, 27 Nov 2007 19:05:17 +0000 http://www.annezelenka.com/2007/11/the-decline-and-fall-of-facebook#comment-2181 I agree that online interactions are real social interactions, and what I'm trying to capture is that you can't reduce it into some unified representation. Relationships are made up of all our interactions -- you can't reduce them down into "Anne and Joshua are friends." Even by making many categories of friendship, you miss something if you don't take into account all the ways we've interacted in the past, on and offline. Our brains do that, but computers can't. I agree that online interactions are real social interactions, and what I’m trying to capture is that you can’t reduce it into some unified representation. Relationships are made up of all our interactions — you can’t reduce them down into “Anne and Joshua are friends.” Even by making many categories of friendship, you miss something if you don’t take into account all the ways we’ve interacted in the past, on and offline. Our brains do that, but computers can’t.

]]> By: Joshua Porter http://www.annezelenka.com/2007/11/the-decline-and-fall-of-facebook#comment-2180 Joshua Porter Tue, 27 Nov 2007 18:47:52 +0000 http://www.annezelenka.com/2007/11/the-decline-and-fall-of-facebook#comment-2180 Good food for thought, Anne... I read Cory's piece as well...but I'm still hung up on the "in the real world we don't articulate our social networks" part. I would say it's not that simple. From choosing what we wear to who we hang around with, we do articulate quite a bit...even if it is not explicit. The wealth of information we process in the "real world" is astounding, and though we might not vocalize it, it still has meaning. Entire societies are structured around...something...and it's not just policy. And to your point about there being "no good way" to represent social interaction online...I think I agree...but I also think it depends on if you grew up with a cellphone stuck to your hand (I did not). I've seen younger folks who make no distinction at all between online and off: what happens online *is* social interaction, not merely a representation. Good food for thought, Anne…

I read Cory’s piece as well…but I’m still hung up on the “in the real world we don’t articulate our social networks” part.

I would say it’s not that simple. From choosing what we wear to who we hang around with, we do articulate quite a bit…even if it is not explicit. The wealth of information we process in the “real world” is astounding, and though we might not vocalize it, it still has meaning. Entire societies are structured around…something…and it’s not just policy.

And to your point about there being “no good way” to represent social interaction online…I think I agree…but I also think it depends on if you grew up with a cellphone stuck to your hand (I did not).

I’ve seen younger folks who make no distinction at all between online and off: what happens online *is* social interaction, not merely a representation.

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