They say that to market something new, you CREATE a need for it. What kind of needs does Facebook play to?

[Marie Antoinette]

At any given time in my university computer lab, about half the students are on facebook. I find myself staying on it for two hours when I meant to just reply to a new mail. It works its way into at least one conversation every day. I never even had a Myspace page before. I feel like a geek!

What is it about facebook that makes it so popular? To be so addictive, it must be meeting some deep-seated needs. But one year ago we were all doing just fine without it.

[uKantSpel]

LOL. Twenty years ago we did just fine without the internet and cell phones as well.

[Zac P]

(you answered my question with a great reply so I figure I'll attempt the same for you)

I, too, am addicted to Facebook. I think what it fulfills for us is this yearning to communicate, yet fear of doing so. We live in a big ol' busy world and people fear one another... go to a big city and see how many strangers talk to each other, ya know? However, with the internet comes a weird feeling of anonymity... which, IS there is one aspect, but on facebook where your name is on display it's not truly there... it just feels like it.

So to people, it seems to me that using Facebook is a means of cutting down on the awkwardness of conversation with a new person, someone you barely know or someone you know quite well. Add to that, it's faster and easier than calling someone or looking up their e-mail address or whatever.

Also, people are stalkers by nature, methinks. We all like to people watch and to learn more about individuals that interest us, and creepy though it may be, I think everyone enjoys the ability to "watch" someone on Facebook without them ever knowing.

Finally, it's easier to say, "Facebook me, my name is Zac Pensol" (feel free to add me, fellow addict) than "Hey, let me give you my number... does anyone have a pen and paper? No? Crud!".