newbuzz...I know that the real reason Farmville is so popular is not because it is a great application, or a fun social outlet, or even an addictive past-time. It is because the unemployment rate is through the roof. That's it. Plain and simple. Displaced workers need something to do. The middle aged unemployed gravitate to the easily understood, wholesome apps like Farmville or Happy Aquarium. Here we showcase our work ethic on the farm, and then go to the ocean to daydream of happier times. The younger set go for Yo Ville and Sorority Life where they can keep busy with the things they understand and like to do in real life. The angry unemployed and underemployed go for apps like Mafia Wars where they can have fun pretending to be bad. Now I know that people with jobs actually find time to play on Facebook apps, but really, they did not become so popular in the mainstream until the bottom fell out of the economy. Unemployed people cannot spend money. They cannot go anywhere and they cannot buy anything. But, in the interest of finding a job, they must have the internet. They must search for and apply for jobs online. To that end, they spend many an hour on the world wide web. In order to keep their spirits up, they have to keep in touch with friends. Hence, social outlets like Facebook have become popular. Once logged in, there is a short path from checking on friends, to checking on the farm, or the fish, and so on. I think we will know that the economy has turned around when there is a downtick in the number of players on Facebook apps.