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Facebook is all about connecting people and helping them bond with each other. Based on the simple premise that people would like to know what’s happening with others, Facebook transformed itself from a Harvard University Alumni network to a website that has redefined the way people connect with each other online. The underlying principles behind this transformation are all to do with Psychology and as the legendary “boy CEO” of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, would be the first to acknowledge that at the end of the day, most problems are psychological. He goes to say that Facebook is not just about technology but the intersection of psychology and technology and their impact on sociology that makes Facebook succeed where others have failed.

Every idea that Facebook has spawned centers on the assumption that if you give people the tools and controls that are needed for them to start sharing information about themselves and to get to know others whom they care about, the result would be a platform that unites and connects individuals and increases the social capital quotient. It is interesting that researchers have started to study how Facebook leads to an increase in social capital defined as the networks of trust and kinship that are essential to the well being and functioning of a healthy society.

Recently, Bruce Schneider, the famous digital security expert came out with a book, Liars and Outliers, which focuses on how we need to implicitly and explicitly trust each other and the people we come into contact with if society is to stay glued and not fall apart. He also makes a mention of how Facebook is helping the Millennial Generation as well as the Generation X in forming more cohesive and coherent networks that greatly increase the number of social connections. Schneider argues that this is indeed a positive development for humanity and something that has changed the way in which people relate to each other.

Mark Zuckerberg also believes that psychology drives Facebook more than anything else and in his talks and interviews; he puts forward his views on how the ability to transcend borders, class and racial segregations made possible by Facebook has contributed in intangible and tangible ways to the betterment of humanity. Of course, there is a flipside as well when one considers the nefarious and dubious ways in which Facebook is used to promote hate and Xenophobia. However, if we chose to concentrate on the positives, we find that applications like Peace. Facebook.com that were introduced to measure how people from countries that are in conflict with each other can bond and lead to what authors like Thomas Friedman have called the “Dell Theory of Conflict Resolution”. This theory posits the view that no two countries that make parts of the Dell Laptop go to war with each other signifying that trade is a great unifier. Similarly, Facebook can lay claim to the benefits of such interaction amongst people from different countries that is greatly helping the cause of humanity.

Zuckerberg, who also studied Psychology at Harvard goes to great lengths to explain that the sharing and collaborating that goes on Facebook, is indeed something that is driven by the basic human need to be loved and recognized. While many psychologists have pointed to the need for recognition and attention that is inherent to all of us, Zuckerberg has taken this to a new level by providing the technology that makes such recognition and bonding possible. It is to the credit of Facebook and its team that being friends on Facebook is now increasingly being seen as a badge of honor to be worn on the sleeve much like a ribbon for a cause.

The cause that Zuckerberg is talking about is the power of connection and the psychology that drives it is inspired by the fact that we are all social animals and that we do not exist in a vacuum. Studies have shown that though people who post more on Facebook have some narcissistic traits, more often than not, Facebook is a platform to let off steam at the end of the day and indulge in virtual bonding. What more! Research has also shown that offline and physical bonding increases with interactions on Facebook as evidenced by the increasing number of alumni meets and civic group meetings that use Facebook to initiate the dialogue.

Zuckerberg also taps into the need for identity and the social identity that we build on Facebook has taken the need for identification to a new level. Though critics may claim that an online identity may not mirror the physical identity to a great extent, Zuckerberg and his team have made sure that users of Facebook are provided with the options and the means to create a sense of self in the virtual world that is unlike any of the other attempts in social media. Indeed, it would be fair to say that Zuckerberg has hit pay dirt with his application that satisfies the need to belong and to participate socially. Considering that Zuckerberg in his formative years was seen as a geeky nerd and someone who is a boy philosopher at the same time, the emphasis on providing technology to meet human needs and wants has indeed struck a chord with millions of Facebook users.

It goes without saying that people want security for their information and the data that they upload about themselves. Just as in the real world where we would like some things about ourselves to remain private, Zuckerberg has ensured that the obsession with privacy and security remains paramount. This has resulted in strict privacy controls and features that are a characteristic of Facebook and something that other social networking sites like Orkut could not keep up with. This explains the relatively secure position that Facebook has when compared with Orkut and MySpace that have either failed completely or are just managing to survive.

It would be pertinent to note what Zuckerberg mentions to an interviewer about the iterative nature of processes and work. In effect, what he says we write something or invent something and keep on improving it time and again wherein we reach a point where it comes out exactly the way we wanted. This sums up Zuckerberg’s core philosophy that constantly improving and introducing continual as well as disruptive innovation takes to a point where we are inseparable from our creation. This is what makes Zuckerberg synonymous with Facebook though the Facebook team is now into the thousands.

In conclusion, Facebook has revolutionized the way in which people connect with each other and bond online. Zuckerberg has proved himself to be an astute observer of human psychology and every idea that comes from him appeals to one or the other side of human nature. In this way, Zuckerberg has ensured that the Hierarchy of Needs is met with each iteration bringing us closer to actualizing ourselves. In the end, it is not about how many Facebook friends that you have but the quality of your interactions. Like in the physical world where one measures relationships’ by the quality time spent with others, Facebook strives to provide people with a platform to share and care.