The Observer, September 19, 2008
Volume XLI, Issue 4
New Facebook: improvement or disaster?
Pro: New Facebook, no problems
Change is never easy. Change is often hard to accept. In fact, I am sure there is some sort of seven-step process to help those unfortunate students who have trouble with the reality that the world in which we live, a world that includes Facebook, is a dynamic one. Change happens. For example, when Case Western Reserve University rolled out the new Student Information System (SIS), students were delighted by the improvement instead of panicking over the lack of efficiency, the miscoded information, and the horrifically convoluted bill pay system. Why can't we give Facebook the same warm welcome we gave the SIS?
According to Facebook CEO and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, the new look for Facebook is designed to give users more control over their profile pages. There is truth to his words: once the adjustment and grieving process for the old system has passed, the new Facebook offers more flexibility with customizing profile options. No longer does one have to navigate through a maze of manic clicking to find privacy settings. Fending off creepy stalkers has never been so easy and convenient! With one quick glance, the account settings and privacy settings are easy to locate and easier to adjust. Even applications don't initially automatically have access to all of a user's information upon first click anymore!
Moreover, the mini feed has been incorporated into the wall, simplifying the process of making changes to either section. This makes it less confusing to delete incriminating information from a Facebook profile. The pictures from last weekend's lack of judgment are now as easily eliminated as that profane wall spam post right below it.
Many may attempt to disagree, but to the unaccustomed eye, the new Facebook is much more streamlined and user-friendly than the old. The links are clearly labeled, and everything is conveniently located in one place. No longer does one have to suffer finger strain trying to simply leave a comment on someone's wall or recent photographs.
Case in point: I never used to be concerned about the fact that my old-fashioned mother, who can barely turn on a cell phone, had a Facebook profile; she could hardly figure out how to log in to her Facebook, let alone edit information or read comments or posts on her friends' walls. Now, she gleefully discovered that there are lovely yellow pop-up boxes to inform her about all the links on her Facebook page. Now, she can figure it out. Now I'm worried.
On the bright side, the new Facebook makes the whole application mess controllable, so I can easily hide that vulgar bumper sticker my roommate might have sent from prying eyes. The application management system has to be the biggest benefit of the new look. The messy, tangled web of applications that used to clutter profile pages is now gone; on the "boxes" tab, those same applications can be found organized and aesthetically arranged. Profiles are so much cleaner, simpler, and easier to work with, now that they are neatly tucked away behind self-explanatory tabs.
There is a lot to love about the new Facebook. What we whiny Case students really need to do is deal with our grief over the old Facebook and look to the future. After all, if The New York Times can delightedly embrace the new look, why can't we?
