I have been a user for a year or so, and in that time I’ve noticed there are certain types of users there. So I figured I’d make a list of them, because who doesn’t like lists, right? Here are the top 8 Facebook user types.
- The Activist
- The Gamer
- The Curious
- People wearing not much clothes
- The Proud Mommy/Daddy
- The Quipper
- The Marketer
- The Traveler
The Activist is going to change the world, one Facebook news link at a time all the while annoying the 50% of their friends on the other side.
You know the type. There isn’t a quiz or meme or Mafia Wars type game this person hasn’t played and posted about. This is where you’ll find the addictive personality types.
The Curious most likely created an account because they heard everybody talking about this “Facebook thingie” but haven’t added anything to their profile yet because they are too scared.
I see less of this since most of my friends are in the 30+ age group (I like to call this group Internet old), but I can see this one being more common in the High School/College set.
Photos of the kids. Status updates about the kid’s bowel movements. I may or may not be this type 🙂
Always quick with a funny status update or vague 1980s movie or song reference that nobody else gets but is HILARIOUS. This one also may or not be me.
Using Facebook to get ahead. One thing is for certain, you always know when the Marketer’s next gig will be because you are hit with it a month in advance and every day after.
Photos from their trip to France. Photos of them at the Super Bowl. Photos of them at the Parthenon. The Traveler has gone places you have only dreamed, and you have no hope at being as cool as them. Not even with pictures of you at the Sloth cages at the Erie Zoo.
I’m sure there are other types of Facebook users. Feel free to add them in the comments of this post.
The Struggling Writer 
I think you have summed it up rather nicely. At first, I fell into the curious category. I signed up at the urging of a friend, and for the first couple of weeks, it was fun reuniting with all my high school buds. Then (and here is where you can add #9: Overprotective Parents–the ones who sign up for facebook to spy on their kids who have facebook accounts) I realized I could find out all kinds of stuff about what my kids were up to. Of course, they caught on quickly and really weren’t up to anything too terribly bad, so I’ve also given up on that aspect of it.
Curious over here. But I’m a wannabe Lurker. Damn Facebook and its protection of other people.
I’ll add number 10, the person who wants to know what people are up to but doesn’t necessarily want to talk to them.
I’ve got some of those! They wanty to observe your life without participating in it. Creepy.
The lonely artist/writer who works all day without any coworkers to shot the sh#t with. Facebook/Twitter are my water cooler.
Ooh, I second that last comment. That’s my break time from writing. But I also constantly fight the pull to sink in with the #2’s. I keep in touch with most of my family through facebook (even though most of us live in the same city), and it would appear that the whole addictive personality thing is definitely genetic.
Great list, by the way.
Oops, I recognise myself in quite a few of those categories. It’s a great way of seeing what my boys are up to 🙂 I’m amazed they let me be their friend!
I don’t see myself in any of this. I would describe myself as a facebook sloth. I occasionally utilize it at times to catch up with people and to update people but I’m just too lazy to use it effectively.