Facebook ‘chat’ as a communication aid

Facebook is a well-known social networking site and is free to join. Started originally by a student at Harvard University, it is now used by over 300 million people throughout the world. Facebook offers a wide range of facilities to its members, including individual profile pages, messaging, event organisation, photo albums, groups and networks, games, and chatting in real-time. I joined Facebook whilst at university and use it to stay in touch with my friends, which is the great thing about it. Facebook initially was aimed at young people, but now the fastest growing Facebook user sector is the 50+ age group.

Facebook provides many ways of communicating with other people, including a number of options which are particularly helpful for people with physical disabilities. The ‘chat’ application, for example, provides a useful method of communication that overcomes many of the day-to-day problems people with communications problems face. For people who have limited or no vocal communication, Facebook ‘chat’ allows them to talk effectively to friends, avoiding problems associated with unclear and slow speech. There is no need to type quickly or even spell everything out in full as Facebook ‘chat’ is, as its name suggests, a fun and informal application. For those with hearing impairments, Facebook ‘chat’ overcomes issues that might arise on the telephone. For those with sight impairments, however, the ‘chat’ option is less accessible because the relatively complex interface is difficult to use with text-to-voice programs. Although Facebook are developing a ‘Lite’ version of the website, which would potentially provide more compatibility with such programs, the current prototype does not have the ‘chat’ facility, an unfortunate limitation to its overall accessibility.

Through Facebook ‘chat’, people can choose who they want to chat to and when, enabling them to communicate safely and without assistance. Because it is internet based and free to use it is a very cost effective way of communicating with people all over the world. It is ultimately a great means by which people can be part of a community of friends, colleagues, and family.

Anthony Ford-Shubrook
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it