For many of you who use the social networking site, Facebook, you may have noticed a change in the past few weeks. Not only did they restructure the layout and functionality of their site, but they changed the question. Prior to the make-over, Facebook had a blank prompt. It was a box with your name and the verb “is.” While some people found this annoying that they had to delete the “is” if their content was past tense, it still made for some entertaining status posts.
For example, one of my favorite types of posts was when people were their food, “Amber is eggplant parmesan and a big glass of wine.” I also enjoyed pocket-posts when people’s phones would accidentally send updates from people’s pockets, “Jenny is,” which rung of existential enlightenment. There was an art for phrasing your status update ironically, mysteriously, sarcastically, or truthfully.
Unfortunately, the art of mastering the “Be” verb is over. The new Facebook question is, “What’s on your mind?” I find this question extremely annoying. Mostly because every time I consider posting something, my first response is always, “You want to know what I am thinking? I’ll tell you what I am thinking!” It reminds me of a passive aggressive communicator who is waiting to pounce on your response.
When you call a friend on the phone (for those of you who still do), you typically ask, “What are you doing?” This is a simple, engaging question to kick off the conversation. However, imagine if the next time you called your friend on the phone, you asked, “What’s on your mind?” There would be a silent pause, and that is exactly what I get when I attempt to update my status—if it even is a status update anymore.
Additionally, the question, “What’s on your mind?” assumes a certain intimacy. And although people may be posting their entire life in pictures, movie quizzes, and videos on Facebook, very few people feel the connection to Facebook friends is intimate. Thus, telling a Facebook friend what is on your mind seems too personal.
Many of the reviews on the changes to Facebook posit that it is trying to make itself more like Twitter. When I hear that, I automatically assume those people do not use Twitter. In fact the founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, made his first tweet on February 12, 2009. He has over 15,000 followers, but has only made 18 tweets since his introduction. In my mind, this does not a twitter-user make. But comparing the communication differences between Twitter and Facebook is for another post to come.
I am typically not a curmudgeon when it comes to new technology and change. However, it is going to take some time before I look at Facebook’s site without rolling my eyes at the phrase, “What’s on your mind?” Until then, I stick to reading it on my iPhone because the mobile application has not yet been updated.
You can follow me on Twitter @mindyglover.
Comments
now it's....write something.
changed again...
now it's write something.
let me correct that...
on the home page - it's still what's on your mind.
on the user's profile page - it's now...write something.
may just be an error???
Great article! Thank you for putting into words what I couldn't wrap my tongue around myself. I, too, find Facebook's new question annoying, but I didn't realize until reading your article, why. You're absolutely right--it assumes a certain intimacy that I don't want to share in a Facebook setting.
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