The "Queen" of Facebook?

Facebook’s growing popularity has achieved a new milestone: the Queen of England has officially joined the social networking group. Many may not envision an 84 year old woman, especially the 84 year old Queen of England, to have a Facebook account. Even so, the move is evidence that it is getting harder and harder to escape the social networking phenomena.

According to Alison Diana of Information Week, the Queen’s Facebook page only exists to inform the public of royal events; people cannot “friend” the queen, but “poking” her (thereby the Royal Family) highness places you on a list to receive information about royal events. The Queen does have an image to uphold, after all.

Even with this limited interactivity, the queen gained over 40,000 followers in the first hour of the page’s existence! The number currently sits just above 113,000. How’s that for a royal gathering…

The Queen’s presence on Facebook shouts reality’s quickly-changing ways. In the past, Facebook and other social networking sites existed to help people find one another in an increasingly global world. Now, however, online networking is becoming a prevalent way to share information.

But isn’t that the purpose of news?

Perhaps not. Relying on news agencies and reporters to see what’s happening around us is simply inefficient in a world so interconnected. Granted, news reporters still have an important task: provide as unbiased of a synopsis regarding any given person, place, or event as possible. Even so, many people find it hard to beat a first-hand offering!

The Queen is not so presumptuous to claim the world of social networking all to her, though; the official name of the page is “The British Monarchy,” which already had a presence on Twitter, Flickr, and even YouTube. The next logical step had to be Facebook. With over 500 million users, Facebook is the most popular (at least in volume) social networking site in the world.

Still, the notion is amusing if nothing else. The British Monarchy, a group of individuals that in times past held enormous control over much of the globe through use of newspapers, decrees, and sheer word of mouth, now shares its presence with the world online. No longer do people have to rely on official news reports to learn the family’s whereabouts.

Of course, the family’s purpose has been reduced from rulers to figure head. And, as with anything related to politics, the family’s social networking presence is likely a calculated move; Chris Matyszczyk of CNET calls the move “corporate.”

Regardless of the family’s purpose or motive, its online existence will likely only add fuel to the media’s obsession with royal coverage; had you not read or heard of Facebook’s newest popular member, how would you know?

We may no longer be the subjects of the Queen’s massively influential royal lineage, although it’s hard not to hear of her influence.

But… we’re still not her “friends.”