Well, there’s no use avoiding it anymore. The controversial Facebook Timeline will become obligatory for all users within the next couple of weeks.
This new format has been met with enthusiasm from some users, who have been inundating news feeds with “life events” and cover photo changes. Others have merely chosen to ignore the existence of the new design until Facebook inevitably forces it upon them.
But what exactly is the Timeline? Facebook provides its explanation of the dramatic changes it is implementing through a video and an example profile available on the website.
Basically, the Timeline follows a user’s life story from the day they were born to the present on a “timeline” through the years. In the example video, not only do we get a glimpse into the childhood of “Andy Sparks” through photos, videos, major events, etc., but we also watch him grow up, go through adolescence and become an adult.
It doesn’t stop there. The video then proceeds to show the entire development of Andy’s love life, from his original “single” relationship status to his wedding day. It is even possible to vicariously experience the happy couple’s honeymoon through all of the photos they uploaded from their trip to Niagara Falls.
And it’s still not over. The video then presents photos and videos of Andy’s wife’s entire pregnancy to the birth of their first child. Now not only does his Timeline chronicle the major events in his life but also his daughter’s. We get to hear her first word, see her first steps and watch her grow up, all thanks to Facebook.
If done correctly, and with the right amount of personal information, the Timeline makes users’ entire lives accessible 24/7 to all curious eyes.
The new format also comes with more than 60 new applications, so that users may synchronize all of their social media and online activities in one place. From movies watched on Netflix and artists listened to on Spotify, to how many miles a person has run, Facebook is making itself the one-stop shop for user data and information. Essentially, for anything a person could want to share, there will most definitely be an app.
In order to ease the reluctant ones into this new form of social media, Facebook gives users seven days to alter their profiles as they see fit by either cleaning up unwanted posts and photos, or, as they encourage, by adding a cover photo, life events and new applications.
In an interview with “Time” magazine, Facebook product manager Sam Lessin explained the idea behind the new design.
“It was so frustrating to be in a world where social media had prioritized just the present,” he said. “It’s like saying you can capture everything by categorizing what’s going on just this second everywhere in the world.”
Recently, Facebook also announced its plan to become a publicly traded company on the stock market. Therefore, in order to keep the upper hand in the social media and financial worlds, they needed to keep their advantage over other companies. They chose the Timeline, an interface that provides them with unique personal information that websites such as Twitter and LinkedIn cannot offer.
Regardless of personal opinion, it must be said that the Timeline provides a new and incomparable form of social media. Through photos, life events, videos and more, it serves as a tool for storytelling with a continuous plotline and character development.
Truly, it is voyeurism at its finest, and it is now non-negotiable.