“Adding more users to a social network increases the probability that it will put you in an awkward social circumstance”
Cory Doctorow on on why social networking sites like Facebook don’t grow forever:
For every long-lost chum who reaches out to me on Facebook, there’s a guy who beat me up on a weekly basis through the whole seventh grade but now wants to be my buddy; or the crazy person who was fun in college but is now kind of sad; or the creepy ex-co-worker who I’d cross the street to avoid but who now wants to know, “Am I your friend?” yes or no, this instant, please.
(..) The least-awkward way to get back to a friends list with nothing but friends on it is to reboot: create a new identity on a new system and send out some invites (of course, chances are at least one of those invites will go to someone who’ll groan and wonder why we’re dumb enough to think that we’re pals).
So we probably don’t have to worry too much about Facebook taking over the Internet….
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Oyvind
Although Cory is one of the most interesting people to read on the web, sometimes he’s *slightly* pessimistic. And way too American. So what if my kids’ teacher goes to burning man? It’s 2007!
Social networks on the web will change and evolve, just as “normal” social networks. I’m sure Facebook and others will make groups or circles (or any other fancy name) to make it possible to group your friends into circles according to how you know them.
I’ve posted about this at NRKbeta (in Norwegian):
http://nrkbeta.no/ekle-venner-dreper-dine-sosiale-nettverk/
But I do agree that Facebook is not taking over the internet. 😉