Think

It's time to add some baggage to the word "like".

While the conversation rages about Open Graph and Facebook's new grab to dominate the internet, I'm stuck on the change in semantics. Suddenly we're being prompted to "like" rather than "become a fan" of posts, pages and other content all over the web. This is more awkward than it might seem. No longer am I a "fan" of Coke or Guitar Hero, I'm now a... "liker"? "One who likes"? When I visit the brand's page, is that a "Like Page"? Maybe an "Online Community For Likers"? And don't banner ads seem a tinge bald and desperate when the call to action reads "Like Our Brand!"? It's a syntactic hornet's nest. So what is it about that four-letter-word that promotes it to such an integral position everywhere we look online?

Earlier this year, it was reported that women 55 and over are the fastest growing segment of users on Facebook. Just yesterday, however, Inside Facebook released a 60-day update, finding that fewer people in the same age group are revisiting their profiles.

The original report was seen as a sign that older generations are beginning to embrace social networking. Citing similar patterns (for example, people aged 45-64 being the f astest growing demographic in mobile texting), a new-found optimism for boomers and their relationship with the Internet emerged. However, the new revelations have stunned the digital community who have started to question whether the technological learning curve is just too great of older users.

User backlash has become a predictable reaction to redesigns of Facebook. Polls show that 94% of people disapprove of recent changes to the site layout, rejecting the ‘stream and filter’ system.

It seems, as Robert Scoble puts it, that Facebook has “pissed off its users” with each reinvention it undertakes. Back in 2006, the introduction of a newsfeed sparked  major outcry, with users petitioning and boycotting the changes. Today, people are just as furious: a disgruntled mob – one million strong – has pressured Facebook into bringing back some ‘old’ design and user experience features.

Why are people so upset?