My Theory on Internet Social Networking

Those of you who know me privately are well aware of my beef with internet social networking. I spend a lot of time talking about NOT participating in Facebook, My Space, Friendster, and the array of internet dating sites. In fact, if Social Networking were a girl, one might think I had a crush on her, what with the amount I talk about her behind her back.

But you would be wrong. I think of Social Networking as a pyramid scheme. The sites are doomed to fail because ultimately they will only help members stay in touch with people they do not want to stay in touch with. After which, people will leave the network, rendering it useless.

I started a more expansive post, but got into it way too much. Sort of like I started writing a short film and busted out a 30 page outline for a feature. I'll try to simplify it.

The more satisfied you are with your social network, the less likely you are to take steps to improve it. Thus, you may start using internet sites and see a mild improvement by reconnecting with old friends or finding new hot dates. You may even transition the most successful of the re/new connects into email correspondence, getting coffee, or playing Guitar Hero, all desirable goals with greater intrinsic value than checking out Facebook.

Basically, your good social re/new connects move beyond Facebook and what remains are the bad social reconnects and internet dating failures.

Thusly, the only way to improve the Social Networking pastures is to rope in new people to join the network and plow through those social interactions, with less time, presuming some of your prior social networking attempts were successful.

And so the cycle will go, all the successful Social Networking leaves, while all the bad Social Networking stays. Eventually the balance tips for an individual and they bail. Hence the short shelf life of Friendster and MySpace. It's just one big pyramid scheme.