Digital Diaries, The Historic Ripple of Facebook

There’s a lot that has been written about the impact of Facebook lately, and some of it prematurely. For example, I don’t see Facebook replacing Google anytime so in terms of advertising reach or in allowing people to search the internet. So, I don’t want to get caught up drinking the Facebook Kool-Aid which has been most prominently on display the movie Social Network. However, there is an interesting aspect of Facebook’s rise, which is the historical ripple created by being able to probe the thoughts and actions of people across time.

Diaries have allowed historians to gain a unique perspective by digging into the minds of individuals as their lives unfolded. Whether through the diary of Anne Frank or the papers left behind by sitting presidents, much can be brought to light, including the psychology of the person and getting to know them personally. I have never kept a physical diary myself, until it occurred to me that I did actually have a diary. A digital diary containing my life experiences and thoughts through my Facebook account.

A Database of Human Thought

The fascinating thing about Facebook is that a database is being built, containing a person’s photos, thoughts, and interactions with people. Never before has there been a record like this which can be condensed into a database allowing for the same sophisticated analysis as used on more traditional bits of information. More so, analysis could not only be done on a single person but can be done on millions of people allowing for a deeper understanding of human and cultural psychology which has not been previously available. Of course some things will need to be accounted for, such how transparent some people are with their updates, or the frequency of those updates in capturing an accurate representation of a person’s life.

However, beyond those considerations, a rich amount of information will be available to for analysis, including by future generations looking to know more about their elders. For example, it’s very difficult to find personal details about my great-grandparents, much less going further back to prior generations. I may have a picture or two, combined with a short description from a relative who knew them personally. Beyond that, I have no information or ability to understand how my elders thought, what they looked like, or much less knowing what they went through.

Thanks to Facebook, or sites and services which will replace Facebook in the future, a deeper understanding will be available for people looking to know more. Of course, I’m making a lot of assumptions about what information will be available, and to whom. Privacy concerns are a hot topic, and since online social networks are so new, longer term implications haven’t been handled yet. Even though MySpace looks to be on the way to a digital scrap heap much like Geocities, it’s safe to say that more continuity will develop, and Facebook seems a good bet to begin a legacy of a permanent recording a person’s thoughts, experiences, and feelings. Eventually this will allow not only a greater understanding of the human condition, but a way to reach out to people from the past and keep their memories alive.

February 1st, 2011