In much the same way that Apple changed forever the way we listen to music, Facebook is changing the way we use the internet.  More than 7 out of every 100 visits to web sites are to Facebook, making Google #2.

Why might this be, if Facebook is mostly a social site? Well, Facebook has actually become so much more: It’s a place for businesses to build a brand and amass fans, and for friends to share their favorites of…well, everything. And that’s the biggest change. In building a community, people have decided that they trust the opinions of those in their community for everything from car repairs, to vacation spots, to restaurants, to childcare. Even within Google, people will visit sites like Yelp to get a better idea of the credibility of what they are looking for.

Facebook has certainly taken advantage of this shift with some big changes to its functionality. For one, it is not as easy to log out of Facebook since their new design change, as seen below. It’s no longer a stand alone button the top bar, but at the very buttom of a drop-down under the Accout section. Sure, this feature looks like something out of a Microsoft program, but I think it has more a meaning than pure design. It keeps you in there longer…your internet experience starts, continues, and ends on Facebook. I know for me, it’s one of the last programs I close.

Another function that enables Facebook to keep us in their cloud longer is their new and improved search function on the main toolbar. This feature is LONG overdue, but considering it comes at the same time as so many subtle changes, it seems another way in which Facebook is changing the way we use the internet. Facebook also creates security for us within their cloud that we don’t get otherwise, which can have its benefits. Right now, for example, Facebook will require a check with Captcha before letting a message with emails and other senstitive information go out.

We don’t just search anymore; we get referred. We may go to Google to check the address or Yelp site of a restaurant, but it’s becoming more and more likely that those visits will originate from a Facebook friend telling you about it, or you seeing it on a friend’s wall. What do you think? Is Facebook taking over the internet?