Dunbar's Number and Facebook

You're allowed only 144 more.

According to British anthropologist Robin Dunbar, a person can only have about 150 friends that they interact with socially.  Rick Lax decided to disprove that theory.  He has over 2000 "friends" on Facebook, so he decided to write a personal letter to all to them.  He went alphabetically and started writing them short, friendly and personal letters.  He only got to 1,000.

I only made it through 1,000 of my 2,000 Facebook friends. But that was enough. My experiment’s outcome was crystal clear: Dunbar’s number kicked my ass.

In trying to disprove Dunbar’s number, I actually proved it. I proved that even if you’re aware of Dunbar’s number, and even if you set aside a chunk of your life specifically to broaden your social capital, you can only maintain so many friendships. And “so many” is fewer than 200.

Writing my Facebook “friends” had taken over my time. I was breaking plans with real friends to send meaningless messages to strangers. Some of the strangers didn’t respond, and many of those who did respond only confirmed Dunbar’s theory.

He has a new respect for British Anthropology and his real friends. 

Source Underwire 

Waiting and Waiting for QR Codes to Die

Somebody get me a ladder dammit! I can't let a QR Code go unscanned!

The QR Code is ridiculous, but mostly harmless (There are malicious ones out there, be wary).  What it is... or was, was a technological fad.  I've never been hurt by a QR Code, well I did stare at one until my eyes hurt trying to make the magic 3D whale or Knight Rider or whatever appears in those things that look like QR Codes. But some people are wishing for its quick death (Gizmodo)while others are finding some funny before the funeral (WTF QR Codes).  But as for me, I can't wait for the next great tech fad, like Facebook for cats.  Crap! it's already here.

Will Facebook ever die? Just because you wish something doesn't mean its going to happen.

Will everyone be sentenced to eternally witness people posting minute to minute updates about their child's low grade fever or someone asking seriously and repeatedly whether anyone is going to see Don Rickles in Atlantic City even though everyone the poster knows lives in South Carolina and Don Rickles has probably been dead for years (these are true to my life).

Will Facebook go away or will people who joined at age 13 still be on it at age forty and doomed to have terrible digital legacies that are never erased.  And can we look forward to watching a future TV program called "I can't believe I posted that on Facebook" or "Germany's Most Disturbing Facebook Posts".

Facebook has had a relatively long shelf-life as far as internet companies go.  Friendster is definitely dead but Myspace had 61 million visitors in November 2011 which is comparable to the numbers for Google+ (which I already consider a ghost town).  But one researcher feels that unless Facebook becomes as ubiquitous as email it is destined to go away.  But who knows what the next 20 years will bring, but probably not too many more Don Rickles concerts.
Read more in Charlie Jane Anders' article in IO9