This morning, I read that Facebook Questions was performing extremely well, and might even be a rival for the previous questions sensation, Quora. This is exciting news for Facebook, but my newsfeed is less than impressed. Ever since its installation, I've been subjected to a string of aimless questions, from friends and strangers alike - it's unrepentant, it happened faster than the FarmVille wave, and it looks like it's here to stay.
When it first arrived, I was charmed - I'll admit it - I was excited to be launched into many a thrilling debate: South vs. North, Which 'Shire' is the real 'Shire'? (Bucks, of course), Coke or Pepsi? I even asked a question of my own, a very tepid 'who is using Facebook Questions?' The options I gave - very creatively - were 'yes', 'no' and 'you're a fool' - we all know which one won.
But with more and more people entering the fray, and after I misplaced my rose tinted shades, I can't help but wonder whether Facebook Questions is just becoming a senseless census, where people can ask questions pertinent to a small number of people and then subject them to the whole number of people. As pointed out by @MartinSenyszak on Twitter, a current question doing the rounds at the moment is - 'Which of these NME 100 Best Albums (2003) do you have?' I don't care - it's 2011.
As Mashable reported, from a marketing point of view, the tool is a fantastic way for Brand's to conduct market research, within their communities and beyond, but on my part, it's causing unintentional statistics voyeurism, and I wish I could turn it off.