Social media turns on its head, and it’s only Wednesday
Well, things in the social media world just turned upside down today. Well, not really, but I love hyperbole.
1) Facebook unveils new layout; world cries.
So, I guess the big improvement we were promised a few days ago involved taking more power away from us end-users and replacing the few functions that worked with gimmicky crap that doesn’t?
That new “look what your friends are doing” scrolly-thing on the right? (See below screenshot.)
I’ve known it for three minutes and I already hate it. It’s a transparent attempt to copy the Notifications-button from Google+, except the G+ thing works and this one doesn’t.
I mean, look at the mess it makes everytime you foolishly move your mouse over someone. And you have no control over what it displays, because Facebook knows what you want, not the other way around.
Also, speaking of Facebook intrusively deciding what you should be doing, the “Top Stories” / “Most Recent”-tab disappeared completely. For no reason. At all.
Now we’re stuck with a permanent “Top Stories”-thing (which Facebook will now gleefully tag with a little triangle and arrogantly out-right inform you that it thinks you should be interested in this).
Here’s my problem: I have never seen the point in “Top Stories.” I always hit up “Most Recent,” because, well, I check my Facebook every so often - and I don’t trust Facebook to make decisions on my behalf about what I want to read about or not.
I’m already iffy about the routine that callously removes people’s updates from my news feed if I don’t interact with them often enough. So what if I don’t reply to each and every update my wife writes? She’s in the other goddamn room! But, in Facebook’s terms, that means I’m not interested, and therefore I have to visit her profile regularly, just to see what the hell she’s up to on-line.
So hey - Facebook, keep digging that hole. I remember the last time you switched the layout around and everyone was up in arms. I was, too. I didn’t think it could get any worse. Well, it did. Thanks for that.
2) Google+ becomes open to everyone
Rise and shine, Google, and you’d better be ready for it. Here comes the mob.
And what better, serendipitous day to open G+ to the public than on the very day Facebook shoots itself in the head (then tries to stitch up the open wound with some pliers and a roll of duct tape).
Three things can happen on G+ before I finally put the mercy bullet in Facebook’s brain: 1) I get to make company/artist profiles. 2) I get an Android-app for G+ that works. 3) I get to remove the “Games” tab, which I positively never, ever want to see again.
Oh, finger’s crossed.
