Putting Down the Hoe

There is a time and a place for using any social networking site.Many businesses use social networking sites as a normal function of their integrated marketing strategies. Individuals use social networking sites, like Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace,to keep up with their friends and family. However, a change has occured on social networking sites as these business structures have applied their marketing strategies to the individuals.

Facebook adds are directly targeted to the users. A friend recently told me about posting in her status about going to the dentist, and then her banner adds were about teeth straightening procedures. I recently switched auto insurance and now many of my browser adds are for 22 year old drivers. Facebook is the poster child for targeted online marketing. How effective is this marketing? I am not sure, but it seems that the adds are getting larger and more pointed.

If facebooks natural appeal to watch your friends post wasn’t enough, new gaming applications have sucked in more repeat users. I play the popular facebook game, FarmVile and love it. In the height of my passion for the game I would check my facebook account up to ten times, and have plenty of time to browse the side banner adds while I waited for my ‘farmer’ to harvest my crops. I have played my share of video games throughout my life, so it is natural for me to like the online games found on social networking sites. However, when I played Nintendo 64 as a kid I did not have advertisements flashing in my peripheral vision while I was in my zoned out state. Nor did I have the appeal of comparing and competing with my friends on a virtual level.

After studying Facebook in class, and analyzing myone usage habits, I have to ask myself how often is too often to check my site? Am I really going to miss something by not looking at my Facebook, or can’t I find some more constructive use of my time? I think it is time to put down the hoe in FarmVille and give up the game. I will miss the game, but I don’t have enough time to play anymore.

I have seen many articles and even news stories now about the addictive nature of social networking sites. However, I don’t think facebook is anymore addicting than playing video games, but online usage is monitored and sold to marketing companies. Playing games online may expose people to more advertising, but on the other hand they are not spending hundreds of dollars on gaming systems. Any kind of gaming can be band if it is not in balance with your life. I don’t think it is bad to spend hours playing online games, but right now it is not for me.

The addiction to social networks can be categorized with those addicted to technology. Some people can’t go on vacation without taking their blackberry, personal computer, and work computer. I think people need to find a balance with their technology use like everything else. Many experts suggests only checking your personal email once a day in order to save time, because really how many important personal emails do you get that are really pressing? I think the same concept can be applied to social networking sites. The only good reason to check Facebook more than once per day is to kill time, and I think personally if I am going to kill time it should be reading the news instead of about what a friend on my volleyball team’s ex girlfriend ate for lunch.