Why am I here? - A reflection on social software

Introduction

This article will reflect on some software tools, namely Facebook and LastFM, that have been designed to aid human social interaction. I have been away from this field of inquiry for close to four years. In this time I have developed my own routines for keeping in contact with family and friends, thus making using these tools a forced and in some cases uncomfortable exercise. In light of this, much of this reflection will be based on material from Alan Cooper’s book “The Inmates Are Running The Asylum”[1] focusing on the question 1) How was this done in the past? and 2) Do these tools make an improvement? Although published in the late 1990’s this work asks relevant questions of software and hardware designers concerning the nature and quality of human interaction their product offers.

Background

Alan Cooper sites a few examples of what happens when an analog or mechanical device is merged with a computer and the resulting human frustration. These range from an in flight computer to an alarm clock, the first unfortunately ending in death for over 100 people[1- page3]. Cooper also reasons that these interaction breakdowns occur, not primarily because of human error on which they are initially blamed, but increasingly due to a product design for humans, by humans but without actually knowing anything about how humans work.

Facebook appears to have been designed to help university students and graduates keep in contact after gradation and across campuses while studying. The site requires the user to log on and complete a profile. This also includes somewhat personal information such as martial status and the type of companionship being sought after. Although these are optional to include, most people fill them out without realising they have a choice. Every time another user inputs on their own profile or on another’s the activity is reported on that profile as well as on the profiles of those who are listed as friends. Along with this, as soon as a member joins a network or group it is made public to others. Facebook also allows members to upload, share and comment on photos, post comments on a members profile, sell items and inform others what music they enjoy by linking with LastFM.

LastFM also required the creating of a profile and adding of personal information, as well as installing software on the user’s home machine. This software monitors the music a person listens to, logs it and lists it on the site. The installed software also reads the tags on the music tracks and shows information about the artist with a link to read more and often has a link to the album the track came from. However if the tag is not present or is incomplete the program shows nothing. The software also shows biographies of the artists and provides links to the LastFm site for more information. Following these links you can find out event schedules, reviews, user’s with the same and/or similar tastes in music. LastFM has a radio feature were the user type in an artist and listen to a selection of their songs or perhaps similar artists.

Focus

How would this interaction have happened in the past? And is Facebook /LastFM improving on that?

Facebook was designed for a specific audience, those who wish to stay in contact with classmates from their university. Before its existence people used a number of different means to keep in contact including email, instant messaging, chat programs(eg. MIRC), MUD's(Multi-User-Domain), phone and even paper and ink. Sometimes a classmate could be contacted by many of these or other means, while others only one. Facebook provides one central space for interaction, a single process to remember in order to start communicating. In this way the user mat be freed of having to remember which communication process goes with which classmate and thus Facebook has, I think, made it easier to get in contact and in some cases stay in contact with former or current classmates.

But what about the long term? What about finding classmates who are nearby to you geographically for example? They may live very close, work close to your work, catch the same train…etc. After discovering this, using only Facebook to communicate may seem rude. Perhaps one of your classmates only checks Facebook once a week and from another country so the time zones mean your asleep. However they check their emails twice a day, so the longest you have to wait for them to see you email is a few hours. Facebook from this perspective, might be seen more as a directory then a social software tool.

Where does LastFM fit in? LastFM provides an environment where people of different backgrounds, locations and ages can interact and share their music tastes. Previously, this information may have been shared on a profile in a social software application. It may have had to be manually updated and events and reviews would have to be searched for separately. Hearing a sample of the artists work would require going to the artist’s official website or one where the album was for sale and offered samples. LastFM offers a one-stop-shop for information, as a result people don’t have to bookmark all their favorite band’s sites nor do they have to remember which entertainment provider’s website to go to for event information(depending on country). What you are listening to can also be updated on your Facebook profile so that others can follow the links to LastFM information and join that community. In this way LastFM is making use of people’s social nature to direct them to music information in one central location. Of course there will still be some information that LastFM can not provide but it’s a good place to start.

Reflection

Someone once said to me if “you’re not on MSN I just won’t talk to you”. They weren’t being rude but just telling me that MSN was the only way they communicated with people. Since humans vary so much it seems so restrictive to tie yourself down to one sort of communication, perhaps even lazy.

When I used Facebook I did find two or three people I had attended university with previously. One of them I had been in contact with before using Facebook but the others I had lost contact with. However I did not need Facebook to get back in contact with them. I had other contact details for them already and could have easily caught up with them via those means. I also found my cousin, someone else I was already in contact with, even live near too. Again I didn’t need Facebook to catch up. Facebook was great for a first step in getting in touch with lost classmates, but I wouldn’t use it solely to keep up to date. Regarding the usability of Facebook I found that the interface was very busy and required a solid amount of time and effort to check all the information, some of which I found unnecessary. After which I searched through my profile option to try and cull the number of different items shown on my homepage

I found that I didn’t use the social aspect of LastFM. I used the information about bands I like but didn’t send anyone a message asking a question or update a review or profile of and artist. I selfishly just got what I wanted and that was that. As with Facebook, LastFM for me was more of a directory or even an encyclopedia.

Conclusion

In conclusion, although Facebook does combine a lot of information in one spot, for me it becomes just another login I have to remember, another process to go though to contact some people I know. This may have been precisely what the creators of Facebook were hoping to avoid, however since humans are so varied it was doomed from the start to being just that. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. The most valuable thing I have to offer the ones I care about is time.
Time to look up their email address,
Time to look at the most recent photos of child, pet, spouse, holiday and comment on them,
Time to look up the mobile and send them a text message or call,
And yes even time to sit down and actually write them a letter or card.

LastFM is a fine repository and great place to start if I needed to find people who liked the same kinds of music as I did. But by no means holds out a long term social advantage over methods that I currently use.

References

[1]Cooper, Alan, “The inmates are running the asylum” Publisher Indianapolis, IN : Sams, 1999.