Column: No gold star for OnStar Facebook app

By Rachel Allred

Published Sept. 10, 2010

Admittedly, I am one of the 500 million plus active Facebook users. I am also one of the 250 million active users who log on to the website on any given day. Chances are, you are one of them too.

According to the statistics Facebook provides on their press room page, people spend over 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook. That’s almost 12 billion stinkin' hours spent in one month swooning over hot friends, stalking exes and getting the 411 on the new kid on the block.

The amount of time spent on Facebook will undoubtedly continue to increase, and General Motors may be adding to it. That’s right, the much-beloved motor vehicle company has been working on plans to abet the usage of Facebook. Some of the improvements GM has been experimenting with for their OnStar service are audio Facebook updates and text messaging.

Presumably, the new feature will allow users to have Facebook updates, messages and texts read to them. Through voice commands, lucky owners of OnStar-equipped vehicles will be able to update their statuses, all from the comfort of their own driver's seat. I have to say, the plan of having OnStar equipped with Facebook is ridiculous and possibly detrimental.

Truth be told, the technology that would enable drivers to utilize Facebook via OnStar and voice commands is pretty cool. I could see myself excitedly using the technology to tell my virtual friends about the sunset I’m driving into, or how I left my house without my notebook again, or how I’m going to be 30 minutes late for a job interview. However, behind the wheel probably isn’t the safest or most appropriate place to be telling the world my life story or finding out what John did last weekend.

Furthermore, OnStar doesn’t strike me as the most appropriate asset by which to receive Facebook updates. I understand that OnStar has to step up its game in order to adequately compete with rivals like Ford’s Sync, but adding Facebook is the best competitive method they’ve got? I admire OnStar’s original purpose to help drivers safely arrive at their destination. It brings extra comfort to know you’re in a vehicle that is complete with a program to help you if you get lost or, God forbid, in an accident.

It seems that adding a Facebook app to OnStar would detract from the program’s primary purpose. Facebook already has a home in over 150 million users’ mobile devices. The website has already become readily accessible. Building Facebook into cars would be a bit excessive. Besides, we don’t need to see any more people talking to themselves while we drive down the road.

As for the texting aspect, I can see how having texts read to drivers while they cruise would be safer than them flipping open the phone to read the messages they receive, which is illegal anyway. Ideally though, we could wean ourselves off texting and Facebooking at least long enough to leave them behind while the rubber meets the concrete.

I’m just as guilty as the next technology addict of wanting to check my inbox every two minutes, wanting to be constantly signed into Facebook and thinking it necessary to update my status five times a day. But really, some separation would probably do me good.

Driving in silence can be an excellent time to think. I’m not trying to get all theological or anything, but it really can be soothing and thought-provoking. The problem is, we let too many distractions sink in. Facebook, unfortunately, may soon become one of those distractions. Come on, OnStar. Facebook and driving don’t mesh.