DO NOT write more articles about the redesign of Facebook, you’re playing right into the trap. The trick Facebook is using on us is an example of the art of reverse psychology. They tie us and our friends with a great service; annoy us with a forced redesign, which in turn forces us to rebel through the social media. We think we got back at Facebook, but in reality we were recruited to do free word of mouth advertising! Read on for my train of thoughts…
I’m no writer like Beirut and Fadi, but I do like to day dream and come up with weird theories, so to speak :).
We talked about Facebook’s redesign and our realization that Zuckerberg has a “God Complex”. Well, maybe not! Maybe he’s just a smart ass marketer with a psychology background, using his knowledge of human emotion to capture our time and attention. Maybe even manipulate us for no other reason but money!
My theory is based on the following factors:
- At this point, we, the users, are trapped and pressured to stick to Facebook. We cannot just simply click the ‘deactivate account’ button, because: Nearly all of us have tens or hundreds of “friends” on our Facebook accounts, and Facebook offers a great personal and social value for all of us.
- If a business owner, my drycleaner for instance, provokes me, I’d usually just seize dealing with him and his business. But in Facebook’s case, I do not (or can not) just stop using it simply for the reasons mentioned earlier. The normal outlet for my frustration would be to complain to others!
- Finally, as we all know, advertising is expensive, but word of mouth is cheap.
Now, to illustrate the trick Facebook plays on its users, I’ll put the pieces together under a story line:
One day, you wake up to check out what’s new on Facebook. You’re stunned that things are not where you recall them, and then you read the announcement of the new design. You want the old one back, the one you’re used to… but tough luck, it’s gone!
The value of Facebook’s services mean more to you than the fact that your opinion did not matter in a decision that directly affected you. You want to rebel, but the list of pros and cons are heavily tipped towards the pros of Facebook. So, you decide to bottle up your feelings, and just get used to the new design.
After a couple of days of being lost around the new site, you decide to rebel and complain to your blog followers as a way to vent your frustration. That’s it! You’ve fallen for Zuckerberg’s trick! You’ve just advertised his brand to your followers and the social Web.
I know what you must be thinking; this is some bad press! Keep in mind, that a new comer will not share your and my frustration from the redesign. He was never used to the old design, so he’ll just get used to the new one. This means that the tens of thousands of articles and comments posted in frustration about the new design will not leave a big negative impact on a non-Facebook user. It will just lead to curiosity to see why this design is such a ‘bad thing’, and leave an impact that: “Wow, 3 million signed this petition; it must be one hell of a social network. Let me join and see what’s the fuss about!”
To fight back DO NOT get tricked like we did, DO NOT post any more articles about the Facebook, just ignore it! I just hate feeling used, don’t you?
I’m looking forward for your comments… speak up below!
