4. Facebook nation.
Maybe kids are telling their parents that Facebook is “so 2004,” but is it premature to talk about it not being cool anymore? The kids may move on to their next big thing, but much can be learned from what many consider to be the fastest growing citizen nation in the world. According to a recent infographic from Infographic labs, Facebook hosts 845 million users a month, more than the populations of U.S. or Europe. It’s hard to argue with numbers like that.
5. What else is there to talk about?
The whole world is on Facebook overload, and it has nothing to do with fatigue over obsessive status updates from childhood friends. With California real estate prices on the rise due to its rep as de facto tech hub of the world, or the fact that Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin has renounced his citizenship, it seems all news stories are related in one way or another to Facebook. Even the news story that grabbed everyone’s attention last week (Time magazine’s cover photoshowing a defiant-looking mama nursing her outsized child) has a FB connection: Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s COO, with her talk of leaving work at 5:30in order to have dinner with her kids, is leading the conversation on changing the way we think about work/life balance. The Facebook media frenzy is in hyper mode, and there’s no way any of us can avoid the conversation.
Among the many facets of Facebook’s status that are unknown at this point, there is one thing we do know for certain: It’s going to be an interesting couple of weeks. You can bet your timeline on it.
Marian Salzman is CEO of Euro RSCG Worldwide PR, North America. Named one of the world’s top five trendspotters, Salzman is best known for launching metrosexual mania in 2003, but she also created several other buzzes, including “the rise of singletons,” “It’s America Online,” Europe’s cyberspoon, globesity and “sleep is the new sex.” Author or co-author of 15 books, including Next Now and The Future of Men, she currently blogs on the Huffington Post, for the World Future Society, and at eurorscgpr.com and eurorscgsocial.com.