Facebook vs. Google Plus

Why did Facebook lead Google Plus? Even though Facebook and Google Plus were some of the many social media platforms to select from, they were critical leaders in connecting people and allowing them to share information. Facebook, by far, has the advantage in the number of active users, which makes it a dominant figure in the realm of online social experiences.

While both are well-designed social media platforms, Facebook is undeniably the most used platform due to its streamlined appearance and easy-to-understand user interfaces.

Facebooks Distinct Structure

Facebook is a social media platform that allows you to upload and share pictures and videos; share status updates; live stream using just your phone; send money through the Facebook Marketplace; or, using active user technology, see who is online and available. 1.71 billion people use this website monthly to stay in touch with friends and family.

Facebook has a distinct structure that connects to a user’s customizable news feed, where one can see postings from people they are “friends” with and pages they liked. Facebook also allows groups where users can find others with similar interests.

The social media platform has become a place for users to keep in touch with the people closest to them and a significant source for businesses to market to consumers in a way that makes it so companies can push a product to hundreds of people in an instance.

Google+, much like Facebook, was a social media platform where you could stay in touch with those you knew and interacted with online. Also, it synched with your Gmail account, which made it easy to communicate and create a professional profile for potential employers or business partners.

Google Plus Profiles

Although Google+ boasted an estimated 2.5 billion Google+ profiles, Google estimated the actual number of monthly active users to be around 300 million. Also, Google owns many other popular websites, such as Youtube.com, which require a single user to sign. Many people view this as somewhat of a hindrance and have steered away from posting comments on the site.

Google+ launched in 2011, much later than Facebook, founded in 2004, but it was not as successful in its social media venture.

Social Media = Networking

Networking is one main reason people use social media. Not only does it connect us with our friends, but it is integral for businesses and professionals. While the number of Google+ accounts surpassed Facebook, most were not active. To be sure, Google+ had all the capabilities one needed to stay in touch with others. It was Hangout, with a multi-way video chat with up to ten people that could conference and link documents during the call.

There were lists of friends called Circles where one could invite others to view picture galleries etc. It also had chat capabilities, and one may join groups based on interests via Community. It had its version of Facebook’s news feed called stream. All these services were free of charge. On paper, it seems it is comparable to what Facebook offered.

So why was Google+ not used?

The biggest problem and end of Google+ as a social media platform was that no one was interested in using it if their friends were not. While many used Gmail for correspondence, Google as a search engine, Twitter, watch videos on YouTube, and utilize other partner sites, Google+ fails to attract many users.

A social network fails when people do not use it, and part of the problem may be that no one knows how to use the different services available. On the contrary, Facebook is user-friendly, intuitive, easy to use without much technical knowledge, and streamlined, where one can access and customize everything in one place.

Also, Google+ seemed complicated and required some know-how to use its functions. For example, Hangout requires downloading additional plugins and Google Effects for extra features.

Not as intuitive

Frankly, the structure of Google+ was not very intuitive. The user interface was not streamlined like Facebook. For example, the newsfeed had an algorithm that was time-based infused with what was most relevant. With Google+, a user had to set up and customize each Circle, receive notifications, and manage the homepage. It took work and know-how.

When Google+ first started, one had to be invited by someone already using the platform if they did not already have a Gmail account; because of the way the system started, those who began using social media years ago may have been turned off by the exclusivity of Google+.

Robust & Friend Recommendation

Facebook has a more robust friend recommendation feature, making it easier to find acquaintances or long-ago friendships. For example, one of our group member’s fathers got a notification on Facebook that he may know someone, and it turned out to be one of his female best friends in high school when he lived in Florida.

Facebook connected them after being separated during college, jobs, and living cross country from one another. They are now married, mainly in part to their connection on Facebook. Facebook has a minimal degree of recommending friends, making it extremely easy to find acquaintances.

It is up to the user whether they want to use this app and scroll through potential friends. Even the most minor connection is shown, and someone could scroll through the list and see that they have friends in common. In contrast, Google+ may recommend some friends, but this is based on emails.

Facebook Drawbacks

To be specific, Facebook has its disadvantages. Although a user can make a profile private to others, it still is not entirely personal. Facebook is a place where there is a lot of cyberbullying. In addition, there are fake users on Facebook that try to be added to one’s friend’s list so they can steal profile pictures and identities to use them elsewhere in a negative way. Facebook staff deletes accounts daily to combat this issue.

The most detracting aspect of Facebook may be its advertisements, which can negatively impact the user experience. The jury is still out on this issue; some believe the ads tailored to a user’s activity are personable and convenient. Others believe the experience imposes on their privacy—those who are bothered to use ad-blocking software.

The biggest issue of online platforms revolves around privacy. While Facebook and Google+ required real names, Facebook users could make up an email with a pseudonym. In addition, it recently allowed users to petition for profiles under fake terms if they have a good reason, like victims of abuse.

Google+ did not allow this, and it may be off-putting. Also, if one wanted to blog or write a comment anonymously, it was not possible on Google+. This was a huge deterrent.

Facebooks Presence & Branding

Facebook’s branding also serves as an advantage over Google+. News outlets, Instagram, and many business webpages all have FB icons, an option for a user to ‘share’ the site. Facebook has a strong brand that is easily recognizable and is known globally. The simple design and even the color scheme are imprinted on the minds of the masses.

In addition, Mark Zuckerberg has done a great job of keeping the brand consistent in appearance and making the news frequently enough to keep the platform relevant. Some may argue that Google has the same marketing power and strong brand recognition, but that applies to the search engine, not its social platform extension. Google+ was like the lesser-known sibling.

In this quickly changing world where we are becoming increasingly dependent on technology to communicate and disseminate information, social media is firmly becoming tied to news platforms.

Social Media Control

Also, Mark Zuckerberg made the headlines because, contrary to the wishes of his staff, he decided that Donald Trump’s posts could not be censored under hate speech. Of course, recent incidents have resulted in many accounts, including Trump’s being banned.

Many people use Facebook as a medium to voice their opinions on a range of issues, such as politics, women’s rights, abortion, etc. While Facebook’s administrators have the power to curb nudity and hate speech, they try to remain neutral on other issues so far as to not impose on freedom of speech.

This also shows that we cannot genuinely differentiate a social media site from news platforms anymore, as the two are becoming intertwined.

Facebook is not only for connection but is a medium where people share news and form their social and political views. Also, Facebook is indeed a user-based social media platform, and it made it very simple for users to get all kinds of media via the news feed.

Not everyone likes Facebook, but it is undeniable that it is easy to use with a clean interface, has a tremendous consolidated newsfeed, and has an appealing structure that keeps attracting users. While Google is a search engine giant, the numbers show that Facebook wins as a social media platform.

Its growing number of active monthly users attests to the fact that it is rising in popularity as Google+ failed to keep up.