iOS 6 Facebook integration: A frictionless sharing nightmare
Apple's iOS 6 integration with Facebook looks good at first. And then the oversharing nightmare begins.
Apple's iOS 6 integration with Facebook looks good on paper. Log in once and share anything you want without an app. Share pictures from iPhone's camera. Share your location from maps. Facebook status updates and contacts will be in your iPhone contacts.
The promise: Log-in to Facebook once and share away.
The nightmare: People will log in once, forget they're oversharing and ultimately have a cringeworthy event.
Apple's big pitch: "Facebook. Integrated throughout iOS. You'll definitely Like it."
I already unlike it.
Let's translate the big pitch of the Apple-Facebook integration. Apple's version:
Now it's easier than ever to interact with the world's largest social network. And there's no need to leave your app to do it. Share a photo to Facebook right from Camera or Photos. Post your location right from Maps. Brag about a high score right from Game Center. If you have your hands full, just ask Siri to post for you. You need to sign in to Facebook only once, and you'll be off and sharing. Never miss another birthday or get-together, since Facebook events are integrated into Calendar. And your Facebook friends' profile information is integrated into Contacts, so when they update an email address or phone number you automatically stay up to date. Now that's something to post about.
The translation:
It's easier than ever to interact with Facebook. There's no need to leave your app to do it and Mark Zuckerberg is so happy because he needs to drive usage to fend off those grumpy Wall Street analysts. We're going to make it so easy to share via Facebook that you'll inevitably share a photo you'll regret, brag about a high score you hit while you were supposed to be working, and weigh down your contacts with pseudo friends. And better yet, this marriage of iOS 6 and Facebook will allow you to activate Siri so she can post a conversation you wouldn't want your spouse to hear. Your status will be "it's complicated" in no time.
Add it up and iOS and Facebook will be an integration that's going to be a bit too frictionless for a lot of us. Here's the new world order: Unless you manage Facebook closely, you'll wind up sharing more than you want. Aside from the obvious battery life issues, the integration may encourage people to stay logged out of Facebook. The reality is that most of us will forget we're logged into Facebook and burden ourselves and our friends with oversharing.
