You’ve probably noticed odd status updates like this on Facebook over the past couple of days: “#101 You’ve always had my back, and I will always have yours.” These Facebook postings are part of a viral game called “The Number Game”, and there is even a Facebook page dedicated to it. Coming on the heels of the meme that changed profile pictures into cartoon characters, it seems that user generated games on social networks are here to stay.
The mechanics of the game are straightforward. Person X sends a number to Person Y via a Facebook Message or by using Facebook chat. Person Y then creates a wall post that starts with the number (which only lets Person X know who it’s about) and then shares what Person Y thinks about Person X. So, the Facebook Number Game has the paradox of sharing information with a lot of people while still maintaining a secret that is shared by only two people.
While the popularity of the game cannot be denied, it seems that for everyone who plays the number game an equal number criticize it. Most of the criticisms focus on the way the game clutters Facebook feeds or that is it little more than an online version of the grade school game where a note would be passed saying, “Do you like me? Circle yes or no.”
However, I think that the Facebook Number Game offers interesting insights into the nature of humanity. After seeing the explosion of similar user-generated games like the bra color game or the “I like it on . . .” game, I think these memes provide hints into why human beings prefer information instead of data, enjoy anonymity, and love to share secrets. I am also particularly interested in the large number of black Facebook users who take part in The Number Game. Here are a few things we can learn from this latest Facebook trend.
Information is Better than Data
The vast majority of status updates posted to Facebook consist of simple data. Data is the presentation of facts. These are updates like the time you woke up, what you had for breakfast, what happened at work, what a celebrity did at a televised awards show, etc. However, information is the interpretation of data in order to determine meaning and find value. The Facebook Number Game changes the Facebook experience from the simple consumption of data into the presentation of meaningful information. This effect is made more potent because personal information is being shared with a large number of people. This raises the value of the stream of updates that flow through Facebook and increases the usefulness of the experience.
Anonymity and Secrecy Are a Powerful Combination
As demonstrated by the extreme statements people make online when given a sense of anonymity, human beings like speaking their mind when no one knows their true identity. We also like to share secret information with each other because it gives the impression of belonging to an exclusive club of people who know the secret. The combination of anonymity and the ability to share secret information in a public forum makes The Facebook Number Game a very addictive experience.
Black People Continue to Represent in Social Media
The past few months have presented several stories about how black people use social media. Ranging from academic research from Pew Internet to the infamous brown Twitter bird article published by Slate, it’s clear that black people use social networking sites in large numbers. While it’s unscientific research, I have seen this trend continue with The Facebook Number Game.
My Facebook social graph, while not perfectly diverse, does contain a representative number of different races. I have witnessed far more black Facebook users playing The Facebook Number Game in my status update feed than other races. I then removed the bias of my personal Facebook circle of friends by using Openbook to do a search of public Facebook profiles using the keywords “number game.” These random results showed Facebook users discussing the game, and every refresh of the search showed several black Facebook users either taking part in the game or discussing it. I did the same thing using Twitter search.
While I continue to look for further research into how black people use social networking sites, I think that the historical ability of blacks to form virtual family ties is one reason why social media is so popular with blacks. During slavery, slave masters could break up families as they saw fit. Husbands, wives, children and other family members could be separated at a moment’s notice. To gain the human need for a sense of family, slaves often designated virtual “aunts” and “uncles” despite the lack of actual blood relations. This legacy can be seen today when black people refer to each other as brothers and sisters even when there are no shared parents. Since black people have long formed virtual relationships in the physical world, perhaps that gives us an enhanced level of comfort when forming virtual relationships on online social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.
Predicting the Next Meme
The Facebook Number Game and the memes that preceded it will probably be followed by similar games. I think that the powerful combination of personal information, secrecy, and anonymity will be a part of how these games are played. Additionally, minorities will be visible participants in the games, and future memes will probably be tied to some altruistic cause.
Facebook itself could leverage the power of these viral Facebook games by letting users create “secret” posts. This feature would work as follows. Person X writes a post confessing some type of secret. The Facebook interface lets the user mark the post as a “Secret” so that it is not handled like a conventional wall post. Instead, all of Person X’s Facebook friends see the post but don’t know who posted it. They only know that it was one of their Facebook friends. Person X and his or her Facebook friends can all comment on the posted secret while maintaining Person X’s anonymity. Perhaps such a Facebook feature will take the best of The Facebook Number Game and allow candid discussions of topics that people are afraid to discuss outside the cover of anonymity. This could lead to better understanding of controversial positions and maybe even reduce divisions in the real world.
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