I’ve been thinking about strategies that social media company’s put into place to keep us on their platform. Specifically I’ve been thinking about Facebook & relationship reminders. They are very good at reminding us about the past by using a variety of strategies to keep us engaged and active. What do you think about how they try to keep us on their platform?
On This Day
Once a day every day I get a notification of my posts from previous years. I happen to enjoy these posts. They are great reminders of things I thought were important or wanted to share with others. However, not everyone feels this way. How do you feel about your past posts in a feed called “On This Day”? (Login to Facebook to see your memories)
I could imagine that not all past posts are welcome. Maybe you are no longer friends with that person. Maybe there’s been a divorce or a death. Does this strategy bring more good than pain?
I wonder if Facebook has asked these questions. I wonder if they have asked their users of the platform. I hope so.
In my case it brings back wonderful memories, quotes that I thought were inspirational, and posts that I wanted to help others by sharing information.
I am sure that one day I may not feel this way but on the other hand I hope that these reminders will help me cherish those moments I had with the people in my life.
Friend Anniversaries
It’s a mixed bag on the friend anniversaries for me. I think it’s great to celebrate friendships. It makes me smile when I am reminded of my relationship with my friends near and far. You may cherish that friendship but it feels awkward to me when I am reminded about a friendship that doesn’t have actual shared memories. Then again I also feel hopeful we will see each other in person to create memories!
What do you think about the friend anniversary reminders?
Year In Review
I love what they have done with the year in review reminder. They give you stats, photos, and who your biggest fans are. Every year they adjust this just a bit but 2017 review was pretty awesome!
A year in review can also be a mixed bag. You may have had a rough year and don’t want to remember it. It may bring pain or could bring joy. Once again I wonder how Facebook decides that they are doing more good than harm to it’s users.
Facebook Algorithm
Facebook announced recently that they are changing their algorithm so your feed has more posts from your friends and family. They want to make the experience on Facebook happy for their users. From a users perspective I hope this is an improvement for us in the Facebook community. However, I am not sure this is going to work the way they think it will.
My thoughts about this is that we don’t all have positive things to say online. So, will seeing more posts from friends and family do more harm then good? Only time will tell.
Facebook & Relationship Reminders
So it’s in Facebook’s best interest to keep us on their platform. That’s why they work very hard to keep us engaged and active with these types of strategies. Facebook and relationship reminders are just one of the many ways they will keep us coming back.
Tell me your thoughts on this topic. Do you like the reminders? What do you think?
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