When Mark Zuckerberg [announced](http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-facebook-home-android-20130404,0,781816.story) the new Facebook Home last Thursday, I was like, “Facebook, seriously? Do you dare to further distract me from my schoolwork?”
As if our lives weren’t already Facebook-centric enough.
The new Facebook Home, which launches today, allows Android users to transform their phones into, essentially a “Facebook phone.” This new program will completely change the interface of the phone, making Facebook the dominant feature. Facebook also has plans to have Facebook Home pre-installed in the HTC First, a new smartphone coming out next week.
So what is Facebook Home? Basically, it converts the home screen to a so-called “Cover Feed,” which is similar to the News Feed that Facebook has right now. Photos from friends make up the background, and status updates pop up on the screen, allowing users to swipe through them. You double-tap the screen to “like” something, and touch an icon on the bottom of the screen to comment.
Another big feature of Facebook Home is “Chat Heads.” Similar to Facebook messaging, a circular image of the sender’s face will pop up on the screen along with a short preview of the message. Users can move their friend’s face anywhere on the screen or tap the face to see the full message.
Creepy? Sure, but it’s also practical. Users receive messages even when they’re on other apps, so they don’t have to close one app to open another just to read the message. But the neat part is that users can check all the methods of communication they’ve had with their friends by tapping their faces on the screen.
Speaking of apps, where do they exist? They’re still there, but Facebook will control them through its app launcher. Facebook will also dictate everything else on user’s Androids, such as their lock screen and WiFi settings. Instead of using SMS, they’ll have to use Facebook message, and instead of using iPhoto or Flickr, they’ll use Facebook photo service.
While it seems as if Zuckerberg is pushing Facebook into everyone’s faces, it’s useless for the casual 10-minute user, and more suited for the true Facebook junkie. Personally, I would not download Facebook Home. I’m not a frequent user, so why would I have my entire Android phone revolving around Facebook? I spend more time on the Tumblr app than Facebook, and the times that I do use Facebook on my phone is to answer quick messages. Sure, I hop onto Facebook at the end of the day to see a summary of what my friends were up to, but I don’t need to keep track of their statuses every minute on my screen. It makes me feel like I’m in a loud party rather than a “home.”
And what about privacy? If I have Facebook Home on all the time, wouldn’t it hack my phone’s personal data? According to a [Time Tech interview](http://techland.time.com/2013/04/05/facebook-home/) with Adam Mosseri, the director of product for Facebook Home, the Home would follow the Facebook privacy settings that users have already set up. That’s only a bit comforting.
Mobile devices bring enough distractions and notifications with them already. Adding Facebook Home seems like an additional annoyance for people. If a businessman wants to check his schedule for the day, he might end up getting lost in a labyrinth of statuses, messages and photos before remembering his original task 30 minutes later.
Facebook Home is best for those who log in hours on Facebook every day and are crazy enough to keep up with friends every few minutes. In other words, if you aren’t Facebook-obsessed, don’t get Home on your phone.