Ahhh, the generational gap hits again. 233 K or so folks found out that their ‘friends’ would dump them for a whopper.
Monetization is the golden standard for web applications, and it looks like Facebook has succeeded remarkably well in monetizing the concept friend, for an actual value of about 35 cents depending on where you live.
A joke? Yes. Funny too. And for many who receive the notification that they have been removed (something Facebook wisely doesn’t normally do) no big deal. They will just re-up.
But what about the few of us who are still a bit sensitive about these things? Folks who might be socially just hanging on. The folks who are pruned, not only for 35 cents, but out of spite. When they re-apply and are told no, what happens?
How many kids were targeted as part of this campaign – ”Hey Everybody, lets get rid of Mikey!”
As with many jokes, some will find Burger King’s to be funny. Some will find it to be cruel.
But can you question whether on balance it has added to the level of spitefulness in the world? If 90% of folks ‘get it,’ that still leaves 23,000 souls who have been intentionally harmed by a major corporation for the value of one tenth of a whopper.
While the term friend has been stretched on Facebook and is unlikely to be valued as it was pre-web dinosaur days, does Burger King really think we want to attack friendship? So far, Burger King wins. They get a huge amount of publicity for a very small investment. They are considered hip among the hip. Their sales will increase due to the buzz. They prove that in the short run, a lack of morals pays.
I, on the other hand, don’t plan to return to Burger King anytime soon. Folks have already miss-used social sites to target and cause harm to others. I don’t feel like rewarding them. So I will trade each of my next 23,000 whopper cravings for a delicious McDonald‘s Big Mac shared with a friend.
