Ben Clatworthy's Blog

Ben and his Facebook

In the past few years social networking websites have become so popular that most teenagers use them at least once a day, but will the demand keep rising or like most crazes will they become a thing of the past? Young journalist Ben Clatworthy (www.benclatworthy.com) has been taking a look.

Being a teenager it quickly becomes very apparent that social networking websites are changing the way that people interact and go about daily life. I am a great user of one of these in particular, Facebook, however I am most certainly not addicted to it, or any other website for that matter.

At the end of last year Facebook launched a new chat service that automatically appeared on everybody’s account. It was this service that made me realise just how many of my friends spend a very large amount of time on the website as more often than not their name appears on the ‘available to chat list’. But is this addiction or just people taking a linking to such a service.

Everyone who uses Facebook has some critique of it and its usability. Every time it launches a new design within hours I get invited to join some group or other named ‘Bring back the old Facebook’ or ‘We hate the new look’, you get the picture, but what is it that makes people care so much about how a website looks? I know people hate change, but is there any point kicking up a fuss about a change of design!

Then there are the clever things that many people ignore or just don’t think about which crop up all over these kinds of websites. Any ideas? If you look at the adverts down the side of your Facebook page they tend to be interesting to you. Being a ski racer I love skiing, thus write a lot about it on my page and often communicate with my friends over the website making reference to skiing. Facebook knows I do this and the adverts that are placed on my page often involve skiing, be it offering me accommodation or cheap equipment. Google Mail does the same using the content in ones emails. I seldom click on these adverts but do notice how relevant they are to the individual. I wouldn’t like to comment but can’t think that such advertising generates that much profit.

How long do you spend on one of these daily?

It’s very easy to forget that before the Facebook obsession became of presence that many teenagers were already using very similar sites. Bebo was very popular for a couple of years but its rather wired and quirky features soon became a thing of the past with people dumping it as ‘their other half’ and looking for something new. I deleted my account sometime last year after getting sick and tired of its rather repetitive emails.

Before that, Myspace could be potentially classed as popular, however, I for one never used it as it simply looked confusing.  However as with anything there are pros; Myspace is brilliant for young emerging bands that want to publicize their music and make it freely available for download.

Times are changing though, Facebook may have the current monopoly for social networking but there is a new kid on the block! Used by celebs and everyday people Twitter is fast becoming a very fashionable way to broadcast your own news to ones ‘Followers’. Sounds strange, well that’s because it is. Some people say Twitter is not real social networking but more news broadcasting from an individual level. Others have said it is simplified social networking tool which is great for older less tech-savvy people. Either way it is fast becoming very popular. These days’ news channels are often beaten to ‘Breaking News’ stories by people using sites such as Twitter; an American man announced on his account that he had just seen the plane crash-land in the Hudson river earlier this year before any television channel had received the news.

I have a twitter account, but these days rarely use it. I was concerned when my ‘updates’ started showing up in Google so made it a ‘protected account’ where only my followers could see my updates; then I was told that defeated the object of the service.

Many young users of Twitter love it because they are able to follow their icons and idols from the music and film world who often produce first hand updates from whatever they are doing. The queen is now on Twitter too for any royalists.

All social network sites have one thing in common, the ability to have friends, communicate between one another and share interests with the world. Facebook exceeds these main points with applications, games and much, much more to the extent that people are starting to question whether in the next few years Facebook will become so big, with so much to do that people will become all and more addicted to its services. Just a few weeks ago the world was told of the first person to die social networking; the girl died whilst Twittering on her laptop in the bath. Will these websites soon need to carry a warning message as well, ‘Do not Twitter in the bath, whilst driving a car, swimming etc…’

Social networking websites are paving the way for the future, communication is becoming so easy and friends rarely loose contact once gone their separate ways now.  However with anything such a tool should never be ones life, just a useful addition it.

Ben is a pupil at Clifton College and a young journalist who writes articles for a range of publications. He has also been seen on the BBC reporting for both local news and also on News 24. For more information you can visit his website at www.benclatworthy.com or contact him via email at info@benclatworthy.com

This article was first produced in July 2009 – copyright Ben Clatworthy.