Facebook

Honestly, I held off on writing about Facebook for this blog simply because I really wasn't sure what to write about.

Levinson's book provides a good overview of what it is, how it works, and who it affects. I could have easily just regurgitated what he has written and commented on how much Facebook has grown since Levinson wrote his book. I could have written about my daily interactions with Facebook and how it's a fun and exciting way to connect and reconnect with people.

I just didn't feel like writing about those nor did I feel like writing about Facebook until I watched the Oscars last night.

I think The Social Network's Kevin Spacey (executive producer) made a very good point in that social media seems to have allowed people to find a voice.

Critics and pessimists will say that it just fuels our narcissistic tendencies and actually creates a disconnect between us and the real world. They will argue that it reduces human beings into brands. Self-branding is at the heart of Facebook. The mere fact that they think that I can define myself into a small box to tell people "About Me" and show my personality based on things I "like" and "people who inspire me" does seem to be over-simplifying how we define ourselves.

Apologists will argue that it has revolutionized the internet. It has brought about new ways to connect with people, it is a new business model, and like Spacey mentioned, it's a way for people to find their voices. It was an integral part in spreading information during the Iranian elections a while back, and it has played an important role (along with Twitter and blogs) in the current goings-on in the Middle East and North Africa.

Perhaps the difficulty I had of writing about Facebook is brought about by the fact that it has been so firmly engrained in my life. It's just a daily occurrence for me that it has provided little inspiration when it comes to writing material. Something crazy happening in my life is a lot easier to write about than writing about how I drink water everyday. Perhaps it is a scary or worrying thing that Facebook has become a regular part of my life that it isn't even a habit anymore. It's something that has become a huge part of many people's lives as well, and it's baffling to see how it only took a few years for this to happen.

Facebook is many things to many people. Sure it has its dark side, but there's no denying the cultural impact it has had in our generation.

THE Social Network

Having just seen the movie Social Network over the weekend, I think this is a great time to express my feelings towards this phenomenon. While I do love Facebook, there are times where I can hate it. I am not a huge Facebooker, but do use the site to keep in touch with friends and people who I do not see too often. It is great for communication but I feel that some people take advantage of Facebook as they feel the need to post things that are of little importance. It is also crazy to see how people react towards things seen posted on Facebook. I have witnessed huge fights break out between boyfriends and girlfriends simply because of a picture or comment posted to the public. It seems that there is a lack of privacy, making things that would not be read or "heard" blatantly viewed by everyone. This is important to understand when displaying information or tagging yourself in a picture in the real world. The wrong person may see a photo of you at a party, not only now, but in the future. I remember when we were applying to colleges, my college advisor forced us to "clean up" our pages, making sure there was no evidence of bad behavior in order to prevent any negative judgment being passed on us. It is very important to understand that as much as you think your page or pictures are private, this information can still be found if one wants to see it. People post much more information on their pages than they would initially tell you in person. Studies have shown that people are much more open to disclose their personal information on a site such as Facebook, then to simply meeting a person for the first time. This is very interesting and I find it kind of sad to see that this is what our society is coming to. People would rather talk through a computer than actually speak with a person face to face. As time goes on, Facebook continues to grow, Zuckerberg gets richer, and people continue the addiction.