I hate Google Buzz. Here's why:
1. People are linking their Buzz to their Twitter accounts, which means I have to be doubly aware of what they're eating for breakfast, how they're spending their evenings, and how they feel about...everything.
2. You have to constantly be at your computer to follow what's happening, otherwise everything condenses and you have to expand each post to see how they developed. And it's always the original comment that's visible, as opposed to the most recent, which means I'm looking at the same thing all day unless I expand.
3. I hate seeing unread messages in my inbox. Google counts the number of new posts and puts it in bold parenthesis next to "Buzz," right under my e-mail, MAKING me click on it to get rid of the number.
4. I don't need to know EVERYTHING that's happening in EVERYONE'S life ALL the time. Buzz just feels like sensory overload to me.
5. I don't need to catch up with people while checking my e-mail. Sometimes, I just want to check my e-mail.
I know this makes me sound like a curmudgeon, and I do use Twitter, but sparingly. Then again, people felt this away about pretty much every staple technology that exists today. People thought the radio was sensory overload. They thought TV was going to melt brains (which it sort of does). They thought the internet would make people's heads explode. But in most cases, these things have made our lives a lot easier, and helped us (arguably) feel more connected to each other. I'm wondering if this is just another of those things, or if we've finally hit a wall and it really is enough at this point. I'm leaning towards the latter.
3 comments:
Ehhhh.
I wouldn't necessarily say that we've hit a wall, but it's a bit problematic and frustrating that it's just incorporated into your gmail account without prompting for permission.
I'm indifferent as to the linking of seperate networking applications; 1) Because we are all a part of many of these apps and going to each individually will inevitabley push me to the brink of canceling each account. So it's convenient that I can control what I say on fbook, through AIM and Google.
On the other hand, I don't use Twitter, so now, when you have folk's messages pop up, who do use Twitter, it's like Google Buzz saying "I don't care if you don't use Twitter, you're going to get these updates here anyway". In that sense, I think that linking all these apps can be a annoying, disobedient and disrespectful.
I would be much happier, if there was a way to only get updates on the apps that an individual uses; that way, it's not overwhelming, in one sense anyway.
I just feel like if you don't like it, don't use it. If you don't wanna see people's stuff, unfollow them. And curmudgeon is about right.
Uh huh. I guess I'm trying to see the uses beyond what Twitter and Facebook already do. I also declined to "learn more" the first time Google offered to tell me about Buzz, but it popped up on my gmail anyway. So if I choose not to use it from the beginning, I expect to not be annoyed by everyone's inconsequential opinions.
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