Skip to content
TheTranscendenceDiaries

TheTranscendenceDiaries

Thoughtful musings for the unabashedly aware and ravenously curious intellectual and intelligentsia

  • About the Transcendence Diaries
  • About the Author
  • Subscribe or Donate
  • The Transcendence Manifesto
  • Ed Hale News
  • Videos
TheTranscendenceDiaries

Tag: tech-crazy

The Inevitable Evolution of Facebook Into the Dominant Computing Interface

September 22, 2011

@Sarah Burris Lowe, who asked this morning “Is Facebook trying to push us into something?”

Great question. Though I’d suggest they’ve already been successfully doing that for a few years now. No one in the world has more sheer dominance over how we act and interact with each other online than Facebook has at the moment. For better or worse, they are the global controller of social networking, making nearly all others that have come before or since insignificant also-rans. The one-time leading MySpace for instance, which at one point in the not too distant past actually had a “value” so ridiculously high that media mogul Rupert Murdoch purchased it for a figure purportedly in the billions, looks, feels and acts like a shabby mess now, more akin to a swap shop or a flea market than a website.

Actually in early 2007 when I was researching the book I was writing at the time, We Are the Revolution: Welcome to the Personal Expression Age, I told everyone around me that I had a hunch that “essentially Facebook, if it keeps up this pace, will become our new desktop, or user interface if you will. It won’t just be a website. It’ll be the literal backdrop of our entire computing experience.” It was at best a hunch, a possibility. But fortunately for them, Mark and company have gone exactly in that direction. I’m actually quite surprised that they had the insight to see the opportunity there; to not just be a favorite online destination, but instead to be the control center of our entire computing experience as mentioned above. With the merging of more streamlined music and video services, and the Facebook “Like” button’s rampant spreading all over the Web, in addition to the trend by other online destination sites to replace their own log-in systems with Facebook’s log-in, they are achieving this mass takeover of the internet faster than most of us even imagined they could.

The only two things that now stand in their way of complete dominance, and spreading this dominance through to personal computing in it’s entirety are Google and Apple. Google is already a goner in terms of it’s noble though unsuccessful attempt to compete with Facebook in any real sense with it’s fledgling Google+ network. Look for an announcement within months from both companies that Facebook and Google “are working together and have created a way to merge their respective systems to create a more streamlined and seamless online experience for the user.” Google isn’t stupid. They’re young, edgy and brilliant. They’ll come to the Facebook trough to drink when they get thirsty enough; as in when they realize Facebook’s got them beat in spades when it comes to social networking.

Apple on the other hand literally owns the mobile computing world. HP was smart to jump off the “tablet” ship as quickly as it did. Other companies would be wise to follow suit. And fast. With their compulsive obsession with aesthetics, and the fact that they already own and operate the largest “app store” on planet earth — with the majority of the world’s population already connected to them with a personal credit card on file, each purchase bridging the user more and more dependent on the megalith, any attempt to compete with Apple’s iPad or iPhone seems downright childish. But one notices that when companies have literally billions of dollars in capital stored up, some are willing to give it a go anyway. Android? Even the term itself is an outdated one from days gone by.

No, most of us will not be going anywhere in the near future without that beloved iPad close at hand. So how does this relate to Facebook? Once the major merges take place – and some point out that they already have – such as YouTube and Facebook, music and Facebook, log-ins and Facebook etc, and then the inevitable merging of Google and Facebook, the last few terrains left to seize will be Browsing (which will be covered in a few minutes) and mobile computing. Apple’s dominance reigns supreme over this market for the reasons offered above and perhaps more than any other reason for its multi-touch user interface and its iWork productivity apps. Using an iPad is more than just day to day computing. It’s a living breathing real time work of art experience that anyone, even the most un-artistic among us, can realize just by turning it on. (And by the way, the machine never actually “turns off” – it just goes to sleep for a while until you gently tap its sexy backlit belly button again).

Apple can continue to ride this wave of mobile computing far into the sunset of our futures and it knows it. As far back as January 2010, when the iPad was first unveiled, tech experts have predicted that the iPad will do to the desktop and laptop what Facebook did to MySpace. Facebook will need to convince Apple of its importance in the online world and force some sort of merger. Of course Facebook doesn’t have to do this. They could just leave well enough alone and let Apple own the world of mobile and eventually home and then office computing, and be content with their owning the internet. But that would be anathema to the tendencies we’ve observed in the Zuckerberg game-plan since he first rolled Facebook out of his dorm room. No, merely controlling cyberspace will never be enough. And indeed it shouldn’t be.

The trend, and the biggest coup of them all, is going to be the eventual race to control “the desktop” or “the interface” of whatever device we happen to be using, whether it be Windows (remember them?) or Mac; laptop or PC; iPhone or iPad. When you turn your device on, whatever that device happens to be, for the purpose of brevity, let us call that series of operations and the actions you take to control that device its “interface.” What you see and touch on your “home screen” is nothing more than a different series of words to describe what was once known as “the desktop.” And THAT is the grand-daddy of them all. The multi-million dollar winning lottery ticket. Though perhaps few have foreseen it, that simple black screen that holds your icons and programs in place just begging to be tapped touched squeezed expanded or fondled by you is the big kahuna of real estate in the computing world. See, Facebook only exists if you go online. But what if you aren’t online? Then Facebook doesn’t really matter at all, does it?

Of course, the advent of mobile computing has made it easier and easier for us to go on and off line so effortlessly that “to be or not to be” online is quickly becoming a moot point. But nonetheless, that initial first glance screen, the one we feel so good about seeing at the end of a long work day after we’ve closed all our programs and are ready to say “good night Johnboy” is one of the most ubiquitous areas of our computing and mobile computing environments. If Facebook or another company could find a way to lasso that sexy little filly down and prove indispensable to its very existence, then that surely would be game set match. The desktop may not seem like much. But just close your eyes and imagine for a moment being able to do everything from download a song to watching a video to updating your Facebook status right from that very desktop without having to click on any icons or open anything… My oh my would that be one orgasmic experience for the tech-crazy multi-taskers of the world. So in answer to the original query above, that is the “something” that Facebook may not yet know it’s pushing us towards, but in time one guesses they soon will be more than aware of it.

Of course, you might be thinking, “Hey wait! You haven’t covered browsers yet! Or Twitter! What about them?” Well, regarding browsers, the cold hard truth is that, despite the apparently fierce competition for dominance in that world, browsers just don’t matter that much anymore. Besides the fact that they have a difficult time earning revenue, there’s something more fundamental about it. As more and more of us migrate to mobile computing environments and “apps,” there will be a smaller and smaller need for internet browsers. Why use a browser to surf the net when you can do so right from your home screen or desktop? After all, you’re already online aren’t you? And most of what you seek is already an icon on aforesaid home screen or desktop anyway, again proving how radically valuable that little black box truly is.



Like this:

Like Loading...
Uncategorized ed hale, facebook merge with Google Youtube and Apple, Google+, iPad, Personal Expression Age, tech-crazy

A private little world for me… a private little world for you. The online journals and musings of singer-songwriter author and activist Ed Hale. The Transcendence Diaries have been posting regularly online since 2001. Comments are always welcomed. And so are YOU.

Recent Posts

  • How Long Will Americans Allow Their Government To Keep Supporting the Israeli Apartheid State Or Saudi Fascism?
  • World War III Watch
  • Capital One Bank Uses Zelle To Take Money Out Of Customer Accounts Overnight
  • On the First Day of Lent — New Hope Awaits
  • Life Really Does Happen — Whether We Want It To Or Not
  • Understanding Black America, Or Not
  • Two More Executed In Iran This Morning For Protesting For Freedom & Equality — What We Can Do To Help
  • Realism Is False — by Donald D. Hoffman
  • Transcending Genetics Through Consciousness and Particle Physics
  • The Functional Difference Between Edges and Bridges In Consciousness and Their Role In Creativity

Receive Transcendence Diaries Updates

   
 

Subscribe

* indicates required
  
  
  
    Email Format    
 
  
  
 
       
   
   

Join the Ed Hale Mailing List

Ask Ed Hale a Question

Follow Ed Hale Online

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Spotify
  • YouTube
  • Apple

To Follow & Like us

RSS
Follow by Email
Facebook
Facebook
fb-share-icon
Twitter
Visit Us
Follow Me
Tweet
LinkedIn
LinkedIn
Share

Follow Ed Hale on Twitter

My Tweets

Ed Hale on Facebook

Ed Hale on Facebook

Listen to Ed Hale on Spotify

Tags

Abraham Hicks ed hale and the transcendence activism America American imperialism Avatar avatar course CNN Consciousness ed hale facebook finding God gaza god intuition investing iPhone Iran Iraq islam Israel itunes living in new york making music Music music video music videos new album new york palestine peace politics reality creation Rehearsal Relationships Religion Russia Scene in San Francisco social media songs songwriting the adventures of Fishy Transcendence transcendence diaries United States

Categories

  • Activism
  • Alternative History
  • America at War
  • American Terrorism
  • Ancient History
  • Art and Entertainment
  • Being an Artist
  • Black Lives Matter
  • black people
  • Business and Entrepreneurship
  • Civil Rights
  • Consciousness Exploration and Expansion
  • Consumer Protection
  • Cosmology
  • Current Events
  • Economics
  • Environment
  • Evolution
  • Film and Movies
  • Friends and Family
  • Gender Issues
  • Gun violence Gun Laws
  • Health and Wellness
  • Human Rights
  • Iran
  • Israel/Palestine
  • Just Published
  • Life Hacks
  • Literature
  • Love Sex Romance
  • Metaphysics
  • Music
  • Music Videos
  • Musical Instruments & Gear
  • Nature
  • New World Order
  • Paranormal and Supernatural
  • Personal Expression Age
  • Personal Life
  • Physics
  • Politics and Government
  • Psychology and Human Behavior
  • Race Racial and Racism
  • Religion and Spirituality
  • Science
  • Social Media
  • songwriting
  • Struggling artist lifestyle working for the man
  • Technology
  • Television
  • Terrorism
  • Uncategorized
  • Wealth Finance and Investing

Recent Comments

  • Ed Hale on Two More Executed In Iran This Morning For Protesting For Freedom & Equality — What We Can Do To Help
  • Ziba on Two More Executed In Iran This Morning For Protesting For Freedom & Equality — What We Can Do To Help
March 2023
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
« Feb    

Archives

  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • February 2022
  • September 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • February 2019
  • December 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • September 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • December 2010
  • October 2010
  • June 2010
  • December 2009
  • September 2009
  • April 2009
  • January 2009
  • September 2008
  • May 2008
  • December 2007
  • November 2007
  • May 2007
  • September 2006
  • October 2005
  • September 2005
  • August 2005
  • July 2005
  • June 2005
  • May 2005
  • April 2005
  • March 2005
  • February 2005
  • January 2005
  • November 2004
  • October 2004
  • September 2004
  • August 2004
  • July 2004
  • June 2004
  • April 2004
  • February 2004
  • January 2004
  • October 2003
  • September 2003
  • August 2003
  • May 2003
  • November 2002
  • October 2002
  • August 2002
  • July 2002
  • January 2002
  • December 2001
  • September 2001
  • April 218

Subscribe

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

The Transcendence Diaries is a property of Transcendent Media Group LLC (c) (p) TM 2001

Idealist by NewMediaThemes

%d bloggers like this: