Social Media and Usability in Crises

I've always thought online media was fascinating to look at through the lens of anthropology, or the development of social communities. Obviously - the internet, at its very core, is nothing more than a communication tool used by people to express a message the most efficient way possible. Our need to communicate as human beings has manifested itself in this great new technology, that is now slowly breaking down every possible communication barrier.

Over the years we've seen it transform, building up as a robust channel for expressing thoughts and ideas through images, sound, words, video, and beyond. But what surprises me more than anything, is the way we seem to use it on instinct. The way that people, from professional internet developers to the barely computer-literate, approach using the internet in the same ways. I believe that usability works by figuring out the way that human beings want, or even expect, the internet to function.

OK, that was an absurdly long intro for the subject I actually want to mention. A friend of mine passed away last Saturday. This friend lived in another city in Texas, which means that I saw more of him on MySpace and Facebook than in person. So, when he died, the first thing I did, and what I believe many of his friends did, was turn to the internet. We went to his MySpace page and clicked through the photos. We read his last blog entry. We looked for comments from his friends and family. And then - we began to comment on his Facebook wall (a public bulletin board on a person's Facebook profile page).

Comment after comment began to appear on our friend's wall, as if everyone had the same idea of turning his online profile into a memorial. Into a place to informally eulogize him. It proved the fact that we all went to his Facebook profile to mourn him. It proved the fact that when we needed to express our sense of loss, we found an avenue to do that in the same exact way. And that way was by using an online application never meant or designed for this kind of thing, but that seemed to serve our purpose.

When I saw Zuckerberg, Facebook's founder, speak at SXSWi I felt he was criticized for his claim that Facebook's goal was simply to provide the best method for communication. "If that's so," someone asked "then why isn't the Facebook messaging system robust enough?" "Why is there no search and sort function for old private messages?" and a laundry list of suggested improvements to the site's messaging system followed.

Today I realize that Facebook has succeeded in meeting its goal through usability. The application was designed for communication - not organization. It is there so that, in your moment of shock and grief, when you are purely working on instinct, you are able to click on a single blue button, and tell your friend that you miss him. And that you will remember him fondly.