OurWeb 2.0
The Facebook Blackout Boycott
"We’re not going to take it, Mr. Zuckerberg!" This is the voice of 1 million upset Facebook users. In case you don’t know, Mark Zuckerberg is the creator and CEO of Facebook, the fastest growing social networking site in the universe. A group has formed to boycott the site in an effort to show their taxation without representation… or, ummm, just their lack of representation on things like layout and site-wide protocol. You know, business decisions. They plan to, get this, not USE Facebook for one day (December 15th). I’m betting it hurts more of them than it will the $15 billion bulletin board.
Trend Themes
1. Facebook Boycott - Businesses may benefit from creating alternative social networks that address the representation and decision-making concerns of Facebook users.
2. Social Network Democracy - Opportunities exist for innovative social networks that prioritize democratic decision-making and transparency in governance.
3. Collaborative Web Design - Businesses can embrace user-led web design methodologies in order to create more inclusive, accessible and equitable social networks.
Industry Implications
1. Social Media - Social media companies could benefit from incorporating user-centric decision-making processes in their design and governance structures.
2. Tech Activism - Opportunities exist for technology companies that prioritize user representation, democratic decision-making and social justice in their operations and services.
3. Digital Collaboration - Businesses that prioritize collaboration and inclusion in web design can disrupt traditional web development models by empowering their users to help shape the platform they use.