The Facebook filter

Saw this video flying around Facebook and when I saw it I knew I’d have to post it, this video is beyond cute. In my opinion Facebook is probably the next best place to find the greatest content on the net, (after VidPick of course) because it has already been through a process of acceptance, gathered momentum through the social networks and gained thousands of hits from adoring fans, what more could you want?

This then made me think about Facebook as more than a social platform, instead like a filter with billions of critics (that would be you) who pass on good and bad reviews of videos they find to their 126 friends who in turn do the same to their 87 friends, and so on. YouTube may display the videos, be it great ones or not so great ones, but it’s up to the regular users of the website to promote the ones that make them think, “ah this would make Tom crack up,” in order for the link to be posted onto ‘Toms’ profile.

It is a ripple effect. The video creates the splash but without people linking and recommending the video there won’t be any ripples. Ripples are only created when users bother to tell a friend about the ‘hilarious’ video they just saw, or post it on Facebook for all their friends to check out. Without social networking video’s would only be viewed and liked by a user stumbling across the content. Facebook and Twitter however, deliberately direct people to one particular video unlike YouTube which displays millions, so unfortunately the chances of becoming a YouTube hit is very, very slim indeed. Damn it, I really thought my attempt at The Chinese Boys was going to get me famous ha.

xCx