All Your Friends Are Doing It…
Posted by Anthony LaFauce on March 24th, 2008 10:03 AMWow, my mother would be proud I am taking her threats and using them in my daily life. I never really understood how foolish the logic ‘all your friends’ argument really was until the other night. I was eating with some friends trying to convince one of them to join twitter and other social networks.
Certainly the romantic setting of an Italian restaurant isn’t the right place to get into a Facebook debate, but I have some nerdy friends. Anyway, one of my friends is stark anti-social networking hardliner and I am convinced she will never convert.
Several of my friends and I worked her over through the course of the night but we were unable to change her opinion. We tried several arguments and at one point in the night almost resorted to bribery in the form of a very expensive piece of cheese cake.
Our arguments ranged from building stronger community and creating business contacts to the afore mentioned “all your friends are doing it.” I don’t know if it was the Sambuca and coffee talking but that last one sent my friend off.
Her argument centered on two main points: Bandwagoning and time management. Basically she said this, she was tired of her ‘technologically superior’ friends telling her about the latest and greatest new thing.
On this point I looked around the table and noticed she was the only one who wasn’t texting and twittering all night. I also noticed she is by far one of the best conversationalist I know. I honestly believe there is a connection between the two. She engages in conversation instead of annoying A.D.D. way that most technophiles handle it.
Her point on time management really sent a chill down the collective spine of the table. She confessed that if she tried social networking she would have to give up something to fit it into her day. Her social schedules is by far one of the busiest I know of and she wasn’t willing to give up any real world connections to create digital ones.
Finally she looked at me and said, “if all my friends are on social networks why do I need to be,” she stated with cold eyes. “I already know all of you.” She had won the argument and she knew it.
At times I really do think my friend is right other times I don’t. The point is this, my friend fails to see any value in social networking and until she does no reason will ever be compelling enough to make her join. Doing something because all your friends are doing it really isn’t that great of an argument.
How many of you agree with my friend that there is still a lack of compelling reasoning to join social networks? How many of you think you could convince her to join the social networking ‘revolution’? If you send me an argument I will forward it along, I am always looking for a reason to bother her.
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At the same time, I can see where she's coming from on the time side. She already knows you people, and doesn't necessarily need to take more time out of her schedule to have yet another thing to check. I have a hard time convincing my friends to sign up for things like Facebook even though I have good reasons for doing so. For example, when my friends and I are out, we will make reference to pictures, events, or conversations that are happening online, and my one friend that isn't on Facebook doesn't know what we're talking about. We try to use this as a reason for them to join. "If you were on here too, you would know what we're talking about." But alas, it still doesn't do any good. Some people just don't see the need to join in the fun.
Oh, lastly, Scrabulous has helped me sign up about three people on Facebook.
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