As the baby boomers get younger they get more in tune with technology. Today we learn that Becky, age 52, knows the ins and outs of Facebook. She uses it for basically the same reasons but she also has the added benefit of having a young daughter to help her learn. Becky has relatives all over the country and using Facebook she is able to see their kids and how they grow up so that when they meet again in person it is like no time has passed at all. The same can be said for her relatives, they are able to see her daughter grow up. It is a two way street with these families.
During our talk Becky told me that it is nice to see her family from far away. They may actually talk more now than they did before. Phones were cumbersome at times and cost money to make cross country calls but as long as you have internet Facebook is free.
Facebook has also helped her connect with old High School friends that have either moved or simply lost touch with her. She likes that they can catch up with each other and talk about their kids and what is going since Graduation. Becky looks forward to going on Facebook at night just to look at the feed and see what others have been posting throughout the day.
While Becky uses Facebook mostly to communicate with family and old friends there is still a whole other side to it. Its core function is for families thought and that shows through their interface. Facebook helps families all over the world communicate with each other simply because it exists. Facebook allows for mass communication with strangers and friends. It shows that there is more to the world than your small town and that with this new technology one can create a worldwide network while still having a safe home base. The communication is much easier and faster through Facebook but at times it can seem a bit much.
There are always negatives to any product that hits the market and Facebook is no different. There are those that will use a product for something other than its intended purpose. This has been a trend since the dawn of invention. This is why there are warning labels on irons that say “don not iron clothes on body.” People misused the product and suffered the consequences. The innovation of a product is not always a bad thing, oftentimes it produces something that is better than before.
Becky noted that there are people that post negative comments on Facebook. She does not appreciate this and as such either blocks them from her feed or deletes them from her Facebook all together. In life she is not able to do this but on Facebook she can and she appreciates it. There are always those that want to ruin an experience and they will find a way but she has control of what she does and does not see.
Facebook was meant to keep college students connected on campus and it has evolved into a site that keeps everyone informed. There are more ways to keep informed as well with posts, pages, groups and chats. Each innovation adds something that the users had been asking for. There are many different innovations that have taken place on Facebook but there is one thing that has stayed the same. The ability to block and delete unsavory people from your timeline.
Overall Becky enjoys what Facebook gives to her and how it helps her keep in touch with her family that happens to be all over the country. She enjoys knowing that simply by going on a website for a few minutes a day she can see her nieces and nephews grow into the people they will eventually be. She also enjoys showing others just how wonderful he own child is and likes that they can see her grow as well. It is all about how you use a product and the people that she blocks or deletes from facebook are the people that she would not associate with out in the real world anyway. She does not lose anything from this website but rather gains so much.
Becky is part of the generation that had to learn how to use Facebook after it took off and I believe that she has done a great job with the help of her daughter.
