| We're using the term against different standards. Yup - thats part of it.
Although, in responding directly to your statement "Prodigy was never relevant" It was very much relevant. You've since modified that to say "socially relevant", and compare subscriber numbers on either side of the largest boom in networked access and growth in the history of our civilization. The numbers are honestly incomparable. Further, I never said anything to add to or detract from Facebook, nor did I make a direct comparison between the two, I simply stated that they are related.
You need to keep a little perspective and understand that in 1990, only 15% ( [ http://www.bls.gov/opub/ils/pdf/opbils31.pdf ] ) of the 105.5 million US consumer households ( [ http://www.census.gov/prod/2005pubs/censr-24.pdf ] )owned a personal computer. For the AOL's, Prodigy's and Compuserves of the world to have had the subscriber numbers they did was quite a feat. They were, in fact incredibly socially relevant at their peaks. In much the same way you see advertisements today that are facebook.com/product there were ads touting "AOL Keyword product" in our not too distant past. While I can appreciate your enthusiasm for facebook as a catalyst for change, I take a slightly different look at it. I would say that the unfettered access to information, and rapid exchange of ideas is really what has brought about the recent social changes. Very much the same way that the Gutenberg press was a crucial part of the protestent reformation and the (re)launch of democracy in western civilization. Think of it like the difference between a simple wrench, and an entire set of sockets. In this case, Facebook was a wrench. It was exactly the tool needed to bring about this change. But the bigger picture is that there is a whole world of sockets being built, in, around, and outside of Facebook that will enable people to bring about changes in ways we may not even be able to imagine today. Its not facebook per se that the governments you mention are afraid of, its the ability of their people to exchange information and ideas without being controlled by their 'thought police'. The Facebooks of the world will come and go. I know it seems impossible to imagine, but while Facebook may be an incredibly useful social tool for you, it may very well cease to exist. The impact it has had however, in how people think about online communities, and the way they interact in those communities will continue to be felt for years. Imagine that once upon a time, AOL had 30+ Million people PAYING $19.99 a month for access to their content and e-mail. Today, they are all but a shadow of their former selves. The market (and consumers) are brutal to companies that fail to adapt to change. There is no guarantee that the googles or facebooks of the world will always manage to adapt. You are correct that it is very much a right time right place technology, but those come and go. This coming from someone who many would say probably posts too many facebook updates, and honestly enjoys having a captive audience to ignore my ramblings on a daily basis. To me, I think its BIGGER than just Facebook, its a world of online communities (just like this one) making a dramatic change in the way businesses, individuals and governments interact with one and other. But I agree, its exciting none the less.
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