How Do We Know Social Networks Aren't A Fad?

Because people are already trying to figure out how to opt-out while opting-in. Just when your Great Aunt was about to send you that friend request on Facebook, you're pining for a way to participate without, well, participating.

That's the thought behind FriendFeed's new "fake follow" feature, and Merlin Mann's proposal for a social network pause button.

This is great. It demonstrates the power (and risk) of getting what you wish for. It also exposes a potential downside of the Internet bringing us closer together, keeping us in the loop while physically miles and time zones apart. In most cases, that hand-written letter from an old friend you haven't heard from in years is a welcome surprise in your day. So do you need to know when she's running errands on the weekend? (Thanks, Facebook!)

The challenge is fighting the information overload, and it's not a unique problem to social networks. A couple years ago it was your newsfeed reader. Last year was tweets. This year they've ganged up with Facebook and a gazillion other networks to drown you in the minutiae of everyday life, and it's not even your life! Even the sites you signed up for before you knew what an online social network even was suddenly wants you to import your email contacts to "see who else we can rope in..."

I personally take a fairly lax approach to social networks, not too worried if I don't have the most "friends" or "followers" or whatever. It's not a contest. It's a tool, an experiment, and by no means perfected. For all we know, Facebook will be a ghost town in 2 years because everyone has moved to some sort of brain implant. (Although I probably wouldn't bet on that!)

Speaking of which, are you following us on twitter? We promise we won't bug you much.