Is facebook jumping the shark? [UPDATED]

It’s possible that the recent (annoying) facebook meme where you’re supposed to write 25 random things about yourself, and then “tag” (like with a chain letter) a bunch of your friends to do it too, may be facebook’s shark-jumping moment.

Evidence for this can be found today at Time.com in this addle-brained, but possibly prescient article about how “stupid” the author finds the meme. My first reaction to the piece was to yell at my monitor. I mean, if the author doesn’t like the meme, she doesn’t have to participate in it or even read all the TMI crap her facebook firends post. I myself have been tagged for this thing several times and I just haven’t found the time or the energy to devote to participating in it, so I haven’t.

Still, the push back to this thing is real.

On Twitter today, Social Network researcher Danah Boyd (@zephoria) tweeted about her surprise at how many adults were participating in the meme. She tweets, “The 25 meme reminds me of September That Never Ended. Just surprised that adults are back to silly memes. I expect this from teens, but…”

Speaking of adults, facebook has a hell of a lot of them these days. According to iThink Online, the demographics of facebook are graying significantly…

We may be seeing the demise of the social networking colossus as a gathering place for young people.

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The reason? Teens are tripping over their parents and grandparents as they rummage around in Facebook these days. And the young have demonstrated in the past that when older people discover their meeting place, they tend to move on.

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A recent study by iStrategyLabs shows a staggering 276% jump in the number of 35 to 54-year-old users of the network in the last six months alone. “That demographic is doubling roughly every two months,” reports the digital agency.

One of the 25 random things about me that I would surely have included in my list is the fact that I have a very low tolerance for chain letter-style memes, in email or on the web (no kidding, as I was typing this sentence, my email pinged at me and it was a chain letter from a relative — ugh). I suspect I’m not alone, and while I’m not writing posts about how “stupid” this particular meme is (I’m aware that my feelings are not universal and no one is forcing me to participate), we may be witnessing an end of the facebook honeymoon here.

UPDATE: Salon has a piece today about how we should get over our snarky dersision of the 25 meme and revel in the fact that people are interesting and beautiful. The author acts like its an article about his discovery of how cool the 25 meme really is, but actually its about his discovery of how cool his friends really are. The meme is still fairly mundane and trite.

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On February 6, 2009, Spine said:

If you forward this blog post to seven people, something really amazing will appear on your screen and Bill Gates will send you money!
On February 6, 2009, Casey said:

I usually hate this meme, too, and I figure that my 300-something “friends” must recognize that quality in me because I’ve only been tagged with the “25 Things” once.

That said, I really enjoyed doing it — it made me realize how I’ve changed over the years and where I currently find value in life.

Also, some people I know have assembled some amazing lists — Susan Norton and Neil Cleary come immediately to mind.

Again, I normaly hate this kind of thing, but I thought this was a somewhat interesting exercise in self-assessment. It’s only as superficial as you make it. . .
On February 6, 2009, billsimmon said:

Yeah, Casey, I get that — and I enjoyed reading yours — it’s the vast popularity of it that’s making be step back and go “okay, wait…” I think part of it may be that so many of the new facebook fogies are new to internet socializing in general. Many (perhaps most) of these new 35-54 year-olds have only done email and stock reports online so far and they are sowing their social networking wild oats a bit, while those of us who’ve been around the MySpace/blogging/Friendster block a few times are less impressed by a run-of-the-mill meme like this. I’m mixing my metaphors, but you know what I mean?
On February 6, 2009, Casey said:

Those are all really valid points. I went to a small Northern high school at a time when the Internet was only known to he military and science community (and maybe a handful of academic nerds on BBS. I think we had a couple of computers, bu they were in a special room and you had to have a special reason to go there. I was more interested in hanging out in the art room or making out behind the theater curtains.

So my peers, who are now in their mid-30s, aren’t exactly the most tech-savvy bunch — even the ones who managed to make it out of the sticks. There are a few exceptions, of course — I have one HS pal who does adaptive engineering and robotics and another is a high-level programmer of some kind. But for the most part, it’s a bunch of social network neophytes who probably heard about FB from their tween children.

I’m not even sure if any of ‘em got this meme. I might have passed it on to a couple.

On the bright side, all of us cool (aging) kids will no doubt have to migrate to another social network soon. Tick, tick ck, tick.
On February 6, 2009, Charity said:

Yes. Facebook is jumping the shark. It is the new myspace. I noticed that the other day. Not necessarily because of that meme, but because people who barely know how to use a computer are on there now. Like the ones who type IN ALL CAPS.

That said, I kind of liked this meme, which I finally submitted to yesterday after being tagged at least 4 times. Some of my long lost high school and college friends have recently friended me and it was neat reading their 25 things.

There are also people who I know from political blogging, but not so much IRL, and reading their things gives them a new dimension. Not as much of a dimension as going downtown for a beer or three, mind you.

On a side note, I am trying Mama Mia’s tonight on your recommendation.
On February 6, 2009, KathyJND said:

Thankfully, I am not the relative who forwarded you the chain e-mail. I, too, still get them all the time, from people I don’t usually consider annoying or frivolous. It mystifies me that this continues at such a high level. Also, although I love the term “facebook fogie,” I hate that I am one. I can still be blindsided by the idea that I am, at 40-something, completely, demographically, culturally, old. Just the idea that my use of something makes it unworthy of anyone under, what, 30? Yikes. It may be true, but I think to myself, “How did that happen?”
On February 6, 2009, billsimmon said:

Kathy! No, the chain email wasn’t from you. Very happy to see you comment here, though, and we missed the heck out of you at Twinbrook for New Years. Note that every single commenter here so far is at least in their late thirties (I could be wrong about Charity on that though) so you’re in good company as far as being “old” goes.
On February 6, 2009, Charity said:

I’m in the lost demographic. Over 30, yet under 35. I’m too old to be hip, but too young to be taken seriously.

BTW, the pizza was freaking awesome.
On February 6, 2009, MGP said:

“Viral narcissism.” She says it like it’s a bad thing.

As far as the people I know and care to know about, the meme is fine and dandy. Everyone else doesn’t matter and I couldn’t care less what they do with it. I love all of the strange and quirky things I’ve now learned from the lists of my friends and potential-friends. That’s what matters.

Though, I did post a childhood pic of myself in the Fonzie pose at the start of my list on my blog. Maybe THAT’S a sly reference to the first shark jump? Did I take it full circle? Or is it all much ado about nothing?

I’m still awesome.
On February 6, 2009, evening said:

I did it for folks I want to get to know better, and to let folks I used to know what I’m really like (as opposed to high school!). And I found out some unexpected commonalities with some folks, so it worked.

There are a TON more going around though, that are quite stupid.

I think part of it is folks like a silly distraction, an escape from work. And if they’re getting back in touch with high school friends, they may be reverting to their immature selves.

Just speculating.
On February 7, 2009, Mom said:

OK, I am a gen-u-ine fogey who’s fairly tech savvy, but so far have avoided FaceBook and probably will. (I see I’m also a day late in commenting here, but what the heck.)

I have received this meme from three people so far (two of them folks I don’t consider annoying, one of them another old fart hoping to pull in some FaceBook friends), and although I did read their answers, I could not generate enough energy to go through the thing and send it off. That’s largely because I, too, get annoyed by anything unrequested that comes with instructions.

Reading and writing about them on a blog? Priceless.
On February 8, 2009, Neil C said:

I find it odd that this meme, THIS one — not the hundreds of other more annoying, destructive, inane, superstitious and just plain lame non-creative ones — is the straw that breaks the camel’s back (or, being perceived as such). Admittedly, I haven’t read the pushback. UPDATE: ok, now I have. Not all that enlightening.

I think, as Bill implies, it has more to do with the aging demographic of Facebook and how the cool kids who got there first are all there-goes-the-neighborhood. So hang on — is the internet going to forever be run by the edgy 90′s kids (themselves, rapidly aging — awww, BUSTED!!!)? If it’s truly to be the great communicator/equalizer we were all promised, isn’t it gonna be eventually appropriately populated with VFW halls, square dances, and get-to-know-you mixers?

I find the 25 Things meme unexpectedly affecting and enriching (or, I should say, I’ve found the results of my friends’ responses to be so). The tag-a-friend thing? Yeah, kinda annoying. But how else would I have heard? It’s almost like a command-performance-blog. I mean, I’ve enjoyed hearing Bill’s recent random reflections on pizza and electric guitars. Why not encourage the same from someone else who might not otherwise?

That being said: what I don’t get, and will never participate in, is the fucking endless cause invitations and water-a-virtual-rainforest-tree applications on Facebook. Useless, frivolous, and annoying. Anyone who’s sending me these, please just stop.
On February 9, 2009, MGP said:

Covered…

http://purgingtalon.com/diabologue/2009/02/09/how-not-to-drive-your-friends-crazy-online/
On February 10, 2009, Amber LeMay said:

Hey Bill – I’m one of those under 54′ers doubling the older demographic having joined Facebook last October. I like it – but I do see something else coming around for the kids to hide in.

Here’s a post I made from a post on a gay blog I frequent…
(http://houseoflemay.blog-city.com/being_gay_on_facebook__thanks_queerty.htm)
On February 11, 2009, Matt Goudey said:

You dick…! Don’t you know how impressionable I am? Now I won’t be able use Facebook again without feeling line an internet weenie… Thanks a lot… sheesh!