Is Facebook becoming the new Orkut?

I know Orkut is still quite popular in Brazil and a few other places; but Facebook is the 'in thing' for quite some time. But unless it reins in the commercial aspects from marring the user experience, it runs the risk of losing its way like Orkut. When launched, Orkut was the only social networking site of its kind, and soon became a craze even in India. But if things proceed at their present

Facebook WAS designed initially for connecting campus residents closely, but now incoming batches make this a circus. People whom you have barely met before(like long lost school juniors/seniors), those whom you have not seen(incoming junior batch), distant relatives-everyone joins in the feeding frenzy to befriend as many people online as possible. A person who makes 300+ Facebook campus friends, may not even walk till the next dorm to chat in person. And this ruins the experiences. Would YOU want random friend updates from someone whom you hardly knew, but whose friend invite you had accepted for fear of not upsetting him/her? Like how Facebook allows you to filter your information for a select circle, it is high time for doing so when it comes to updates.

And then, the ever ballooning apps irritating updates, privacy controversies etc, do nothing to enhance the reputation of Facebook. They have remained 'cool' so far largely thanks to the user friendly interface and hip image, but if the number of ad breaks/commercial space usage increases, I for one would reconsider.

Takeaway:-Facebook/Orkut(ok to be fair most social networks) stretch the meaning of 'friend'. It is a personal choice whether you want a small network whom you know well/have met in person; or whether you want the equivalent of a huge visiting card collection of strangers.