One of the major cons right off the bat is that the majority of your friends are sheep and will likely stay with the rest of the herd on Facebook because, well, that's where everyone else is. Don't get me wrong - they'll sign up and keep the site open idly but it will only be a minor distraction from the Facebook party. There's nothing more tragic than an unacknowledged status update falling empty in an Internet full of captive, judgmental listeners amirite?
The major gaping flaw in Facebook has always been the lack of control over the privacy settings and the inherent structure of "look at me" disclosure not easily manipulated by the user. Basically, it's a bad place to flirt, post lolcats during work, or attend a party without hurting the feelings of those not invited. Creating friend lists and selecting which people to exclude from certain posts, and even how to enforce that privacy once those lists were created was a total nightmare on a PC and an impossibility on the mobile app. Like any successful company, the timely exploitation of this flaw is what will make Google + successful.
Do you ever remember in your life wherein you were dating someone and felt like the adult in the relationship, constantly hoping the other person would just grow out of their puerile, embarrassing behaviors? And then do you remember that time where you met someone that had their shit together and treated you maturely and fairly? That's exactly how I felt when I went rogue from Facebook and spun my efforts on G+.
The most alluring part of Google + is by far the ability to categorize your friends into clear "circles" of friendship. I can have my work friends in one circle, my beer geeks in another, and I can even create a circle for "People that think dead baby jokes are funny". When I am posting a status or a link, I can easily "+" which circles are privy to reading it. Of course, your friends have no idea in which circles they have been placed. In fact, you can create an entire circle called "I added you out of obligation but wish you would just die" just to outwardly showcase your maturity in accepting them into your circles, however, having the explicit option to exclude them from your posts. I have often been accused of reading between the lines too heavily, however, this is the very feature that sequesters G+ into maturity. How often do you think about why you are posting what you are posting and who you want to see it? Are you seeking validation? Are you providing information? Or are you just being fucking passive-aggressive?
For example:
Status update: "I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best." - Marilyn Monroe
To: Close Friends Circle
Verdict: This is your support group; these are the people who know what is going on in your life and probably what inspired the update. They'll give you some acknowledgement, maybe a heartfelt sentiment in the form of Photoshopping your face onto a cow or something and telling you to get over it. Totally acceptable.
Status update: "I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best." - Marilyn Monroe
To: Close Friends Circle; Extended Circles containing ex-boyfriend and ex-boyfriend's friends. (For all intents and purposes: Facebook)
Verdict: Totally passive-aggressive.
Status: HAHAHA INSIDE JOKE HAHAHAHA
To: Close Friends Circle
Verdict: Probably hilarious
Status: HAHAHA INSIDE JOKE HAHAHAHA
To: Public
Verdict: 90% of your friends hate you right now.
With Google +, you have to make conscious decisions on who you want to see your information, knowing full well who will see your information and you have to choose each time you post. That means if you post something shitty to your extended circles, you're just instigating and you are forced to face the self-awareness that you did it. G+ gives you a choice to be more mature and keep statuses between the people who should see them. It is up to you to manage it.
Again- not that I am reading between the lines or anything.
No comments:
Post a Comment