Jason Shah |
I hope that my writing makes you think and changes us for the better. product @ yammer created heatdata at tc disrupt 2012 previously built and sold ineedapencil.com harvard, sociology + computer science. periodically advise early stage startups on product, design, and UX email: jasonshah@post.harvard.edu Let's Meet! My Office Hours
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Notes 5 Guesses at Why People Say “Happy Mother’s Day” on Facebook Tweet Follow @jasonyogeshshahWhy? I don’t know for sure. I do know for sure that I have seen a flood of posts today, thanking moms around the world and declaring one’s own love for their very own mother.
Some interesting questions and observations:
- What proportion of people saying Happy Mother’s Day on FB are actually friends with their mothers on Facebook?
- When in history have people said HMD to their friends/public INSTEAD of their own mom (they do that, too, obviously)?
- When before in history were average people broadcasters of sorts, talking about all the moms in the world and the goodness they represent?
- Will a Facebook post and an @mention of your mom (if you’re FB friends) eventually cannibalize some greeting card sales? I’m not sure if this has happened much for birthdays. I do think people send cards less to ‘fringe’ friends now instead opting for FB/email/text.
Some guesses at the why —
- It’s only natural. We say everything else on Facebook.
- “Richer” expression. Now we can use the Instagram/Facebook photos in our posts, and tailor just what we want to say in the medium of expression we use most frequently.
- Bigger audiences make Mom blush even more (if she sees it). Saying it on FB means a much larger audience, so if our mothers see it there, then it’s as though we have stood up before thousands of people and said “I love you.” instead of just scribbling it onto a nondescript holiday card.
- We want social confirmation. Never before could people Like and Reply to our Mother’s Day words and cards. If people Like my Mother’s Day statement, that’s nicely reinforcing (and maybe my mom would see all the people who enjoyed this declaration of love). If people reply to it, now we can talk publicly about how much we love our moms. I didn’t think this meant that much initially. But on second thought, if your mom hears you ‘naturally’ saying how awesome she is rather than hearing it in a contrived delivery or card, that actually DOES say a lot.
- Historical record. Now cards won’t get filed away in a drawer alongside stamps, mail openers (anyone else?), and mom’s address book. They will be living breathing things on here Timeline that you can reference any time in the future and she’ll be able to pull up quickly whenever she misses you.
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How are you saying Happy Mother’s Day today?
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