Google Plus and the Network Cascade
The release of Google Plus as a social networking medium reveals several aspects of network cascade.
First we consider the decision to create a Google Plus account. One is relativaly easy to create, especially since most of us already have a Google account that comes with our CMail.
However, completely switching to Google Plus requires one to start all over. Since facebook already has your pictures, profile information, and et cetera, Google Plus requires you to build a new life. A complete transfer of the information from facebook is nearly impossible for the established facebook user, so it is safe to assume there will be some discrepancy between the two accounts.
It is important to note that it is possible two hold both accounts at the same time – thus a complete switch is not necessary. If one starts with an established facebook account and signs up for Google Plus, it is not uncommon to play the “wait-and-see” game. That is, wait to see how many people you know sign up for a G+ account before investing the time to completely set yours up.
I have found (and others’ experiences may be different) that many people sign up for a G+ account and continue using facebook while they “wait and see.” So in this case the network cascade does not involve the decision to create a Google Plus account: it is the decision to actually use it. This is the main difficulty of Google Plus. It may have millions of “users,” but how many of them actually use it?
Again, in my social network, this number is very few. I continue using facebook because all my friends are still using facebook, whether or not they have a G+ account. As a result, I have refused to invest the time to start all over on Google Plus, and even deleted my G+ account a few days ago.
In terms of payoffs, think about it this way: we get a payoff G for each friend who actually uses Google Plus while you also use Google Plus. There is also a cost for the time you invest fully setting up your G+ account with pictures and information, which is subtracted from the payoff. We get a payoff F for each friend who uses facebook while you also use facebook, and there is no cost because it is already set up. If everybody plays the “wait and see” game, you still get a large payoff for using facebook, and a very small (if any) payoff for using G+. It makes more sense to continue using facebook.