F8 2019
Okay, I’ll admit it. I haven’t actually used Facebook since 2012. I use Instagram, though less than I used to.
When talking with a friend recently, I mentioned that Facebook seemed old and tired. In talking with another coworker a few months ago, they joked that Facebook is where you go to die (as a career move).
And then I went to F8.
And I’ve converted.
Yes, I know they were serving kool-aid and I was drinking it like I was dying of thirst…wait, nvm, those were mojitos. But my mental image of Facebook has completely changed. It wasn’t because I saw Zuck speak, or that we got free Oculus Quests (super excited!!!)
It was that my entire perception of Facebook as a company did a complete 180 because I learned they’re so much more than just ‘Facebook.’
The week before F8, if you had asked me to describe Facebook in 3 words, I would have described it as:
- Old
- Drama
- Boring
Old — Facebook is old news. I created one in 2007 when I went to college. It was a college thing. I’ve moved on. I don’t equate my vision of a Facebook user with my current view of myself.
Get Sara Jacobson’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
Drama — No, not the drama between people, but more with the drama of the company. Testifying before congress, privacy concerns, election tampering, it’s too much to follow, so why should I invest my time in this complicated social media tool?
Boring — Until I went to F8, I thought Facebook was just Facebook still, oh, plus Instagram and WhatsApp and that iPad-like thing that people are scared of.
Post F8 2019, I would describe Facebook in the following three terms:
- Innovative
- Improving
- Exciting
Innovative — SparkAR and Oculus are creating the future as we know it. Facebook is changing the world and saving lives by using their data for Facebook Disaster Maps.
Improving — They admit their faults. No one has done this before. There aren’t any best practices to follow. With every problem they encounter, they think about security and how people could use the product for bad, both intentionally and unintentionally.
Exciting — The problems they’re solving are cutting edge
— — — — — — — — — — — —
In my opinion, Facebook needs a re-brand. The Product of Facebook as a website can remain the same, but the company as a whole is so much more and needs to reflect that. Outside of the developer and tech community, very few people know all that Facebook is doing for society and the future of technology.
Facebook and other platforms are learning at the same time society is. There isn’t a playbook that tells you how to combat ‘Fake News’, a President who constantly tweets, or even how to handle cyberbullying.
Facebook is an innovative company that realizes their influence of society and is trying to make the world better. F8 inspired me.
