#hyhfacebook

[hyhsocialmedia]

Looking for the one on Facebook Dating? You may find the 2nd in Mark.

Observation

Facebook started with relationship statuses and now they’re trying to enable those relationships in the first place. With its one-sized fits all solution for an industry that has proven to need several platforms of varying niches, many are interested to see how the story of this new feature pans out. 

Stemming from all the data speculation around the social media platform, Facebook’s clearest advantage is that it already has an intensive, well-informed directory of most of the people that you know and it can leverage that network for things like its “secret crush” feature that lets you list friends of yours that you’re interested in and can make a connection if one of those Facebook friends feels the same way.  But don’t stress - Facebook vows to not share your dating profile with your current friends.

Facebook Dating makes it easier to find love through what you like — helping you start meaningful relationships through things you have in common, like interests, events and groups. It takes the work out of creating a dating profile and gives you a more authentic look at who someone is.

- Nathan Sharp, Product Manager, Facebook Dating

Obviously, this announcement has been met with loads of speculation:

It also makes it a bit easier for those of us who enjoy the odd tango with infidelity (although not exclusive to this platform alone).

Facebook Dating removes your relationship status, making it possible to use the app while staying in a "Facebook official" relationship. "You can also choose how you want to present yourself to potential matches, like whether you provide different information than you have on your Facebook profile...” - Erin Egan, VP and Chief Privacy Officer, Public Policy.

Future

The biggest threat to Facebook’s dating play is that people aren’t using Facebook the same way that they did ten or fifteen years ago. Facebook very well could have missed the boat. The app has become more about media consumption, where actions like visiting friends’ profiles are more about browsing or commenting than interacting and pursuing actual conversation.

Undeniably, the existing network of users Facebook has to expose to its new feature and the data it has on each of those users is its key to success. The convenience may just give rise to the largest dating platform in the world.

- KH

[hyhsocialmedia]

Facebook falls inline

Observation: Facebook has recently launched a new tool, ‘off-Facebook activity’ that allows you to see how it collects your data from other websites and to stop those sites tracking you across the internet.

This will result in fewer ads following you around as the data Facebook collects on your online activity is less.

Why: Trust and transparency are key requirements from consumers to brands, especially the tech giants like Facebook who have been shown to have knowingly manipulated us.

The demand for digital ethics are ramping up as consumers will start expecting more ownership of their data and transparency in how it is used.

Future: Brands need to ensure that they act ethically and according to regulations as data becomes a point of concern and growing importance 

- JS

[hyhpopculture]

Red Table Talk’s influence on brave conversations.

We’ve been waiting for the Oprah of our time and we got an intergenerational power trio instead. 

Observation

What started with the intention to pursue a hobby has become a highly anticipated daytime Emmy-nominated thirty-seven episode series - all accessible with a few taps to Facebook Watch. Since the show’s biggest episode: Jada’s one-on-one interview with Jordyn Woods, Kylie Jenner’s ex-bestie accused of hooking up with Khloe Kardashian’s then-boyfriend Tristan Thompson, Red Table Talk (RTT) has addressed some very controversial, difficult matters with some incredibly brave people.  Dubbed “A talk show that gets real”, 6.4 million followers tune in to witness the unheard between Jada Pinkett Smith, her daughter, Willow, and mother, Adrienne Banfield Morris. The the comments section and the RTT closed group on Facebook has become a safe space for understanding, with the underlying certainty that we're all equally human.

(A metaphorical Red Table of sorts)

The RTT Facebook Group has 554,402 members with a strict application process to become a member.

Red Table Talk sends out the flashing message that different perspectives and active listening can transform a generation—if we're open to it. For 20 minutes per episode, what happens at dinner tables across the country is happening on your screen, allowing viewers to reflect on serious conversations based around respect.

- Andie, Pop culture critic at www.popdust.com

Some topics addressed have included:

Interracial Marriage with Ellen Pompeo

Does Porn Ruin Relationships?

Unconventional Relationships: Can Multiple Relationships Work?

Children Forced into Marriage

Black and Gay in America with Don Lemon

Domestic Abuse: When Love Turns Violent

The Racial Divide: Women of Color and White Women

Should White People Adopt Black Children?

Surviving R. Kelly: The Aftermath

Why

It’s the brave conversations that happen at your dinner table come to life - and it’s risky, but probably some of the most valuable content we have available across the 3 social platforms currently.

In a “connected” world that’s constantly becoming more divided, we crave platforms that force us to come together and listen to perspectives, experiences and opinions. Albeit challenging and likely to cause disagreement, more people are understanding the importance of listening to each other in an ironically increasing disconnected world.

The need for brave conversation is becoming more and more demanding as we add more and more filters onto everything we do, say and believe. RTT offers its audience raw honesty on important topics that although is sometimes difficult to hear and accept, forces you to.

Future

This platform and the response to it highlights the need for brave conversations across topics. It also highlights the desire for more personal views into the lives and experiences of the people we are influenced by.

- KH