An interesting article by Richard Harper of The Observer. It’s a valid point that Facebook Messages may cause information overload – I already struggle to keep-up with status updates on Facebook. Being connected to my contacts in a constant information stream sounds like it will increase this struggle further, with Facebook becoming another ‘must check’ channel, with all the attendant guilt that brings when you can’t / don’t check it. It also sounds a lot like Google Wave, which failed miserably to gain any traction.
But maybe these are the concerns of a generation that just doesn’t ‘get’ Facebook. Maybe Facebook will become the main communication channel, with email / IM / SMS etc being relegated. Maybe that is what teenagers are already doing with Facebook, so this is a logical progression? Obviously that’s what Zuckerberg is hoping.
The market will decide, and we probably won’t have to wait too long for the answer.