Facebook's Failure to Communicate

Until recently, I have had no ‘real’ issues with Facebook. I've been a member for the past two years without serious complaint. Oh sure, as a recent gamer I’ve experienced a definite lag in daily news feeds, frozen pages, lost transmissions, etc. However these issues are tolerable at best and frustrating at worst. My ‘real’ complaints began today when Facebook implemented major changes especially to the gaming experience. The result? Facebook’s failure to communicate has more than 85% of its users up in arms over change.

Standard philosophy dictates people are resistant to change. I disagree but only because of wording. For the most part people enjoy change so long as choice is a part of that change. Take away a person’s choice and resistance will ensue almost every time. In the world of technology choice does not involve a businesses' decision to implement change but in how businesses handle their consumers during the process of change. It is this process of change Facebook has refused to acknowledge.

From the moment we are born, the need to be seen and heard is the most basic and primitive need of all human beings. We cry to be fed, burped, have our diapers changed, and to be embraced so that we may know physical safety, mental security, and emotional love. As we grow and mature into adults, businesses transform into surrogate mothers by providing reassurance of safety, security and love through the face-to-face communications of customer service. While not always promising immediate satisfaction, communications ensure consumers that their mental, physical, emotional, and material safeties will be met in the very near future.

As is the case with all change, when business decided to transform its service from face-to-face to digital communications more than ten years ago, it met with great resistance from a very strong few. Many businesses did not account for obsolete technology still used in many urban and rural communities. Consequently, there were many creases in the fold that needed to be ironed out. Eventually business realized not everyone felt comfortable with modern technology but because they had so much money invested in it and knew that an emerging generation would embrace it more freely, they reinstated minimum face-to-face customer service for ‘old timers’ like me. Yet even prior to actual change, most companies clearly outlined and communicated future plans with new and existing consumers. The people on the front lines were expected to communicate the information with new and existing clients, receive feedback, and direct that feedback to their managers who channeled the feedback upwards to the top for final decision. To my knowledge, present day businesses continue to follow this structure for maximum success. However, with the advent of the Internet, businesses have had to rethink their approach to customer service.

Nowhere else has communications been more important than on the Internet, after all, the Internet is 100% communications. So when Facebook decided to transform its interface over these past two days without the heads-up to its more than 100 million game playing consumers, survey results showed more than 85% of its gaming consumers hated the changes and demanded the old interface back. In short Facebook bucked the traditional business model of success for what seems to be the new way of doing business online. 

Personally, I don’t want the old Facebook back. As previously mentioned, in spite of the fact that I didn’t have any serious concerns, I would like to see some improvements made to the sources of my earlier frustrations. However, with present changes, no one to hear my grievances, and no one from Facebook communicating reassurances, I along with the 85% am a little more than miffed. My only question is, how did Facebook know what to improve if they never polled their consumers for a list of complaints in the first place? 

As with all good relationships, communications are key to establishing and maintaining trust. Facebook’s failure to communicate to its more than 400 million users is its greatest infliction. Thus far Facebook has done little to nothing to ensure its consumers that their voices have been heard, that changes are being made to help consumers adapt more easily. Instead, this writer received ‘third party word’ under so-called “good authority” that “Facebook will be ironing out the problems very soon. This is the first stage of creating 'Facebook Skins', which will also allow users to customize profiles i.e. you will get a choice of skins, which can be tailored to suit your requirements. Facebook is experiencing teething problems ...with the new format, though everything will be restored shortly.” I was then asked to copy and paste this message to my fellow gaming friends.

Let me remind you this was not a Facebook employee, but someone with “good authority.”

When I stop long enough to read this message, I feel hopeful and angry at the same time. Hopeful because maybe I can get back to doing what I enjoy - writing and gaming. Angry because I'm not sure why I am hearing this through a third party message. Do business ethics have no place on the internet? Where is Facebook’s ethical responsibility to its more than 400 million consumers? If Facebook can provide this information to one of its friends and consumers, why not communicate it to everyone? What communications, if any, can consumers expect in the future from Facebook? And how will Facebook resolve the more than 85% disgruntled members?

Truthfully, though I am sad to report, based on historical observations of other on-line businesses, I have a pretty good idea how I think this scenario will play out. Facebook will continue to make changes without communicating anything to its consumers. Meanwhile, consumers will continue to grumble and bash Facebook, publicly and privately, yet will also continue to support Facebook through ongoing gaming in spite of their anger and frustrations (reminds me a lot of a battered woman too afraid to leave her husband).  During the process whereby Facebook slowly arrives to its final platform of its many changes, and in spite of the sheer power of numbers, 400 million people will continue to feel as if they have no choice, powerless to the whims of the few. In the end, after it has all been NOT said but done, consumers will conform and adhere not to what they wanted but to what business tells them they should have. As for me, I will not to participate in this self debasing behavior and refuse to use Facebook or its affiliates for the next two days. I publicly encourage others to do the same.