Facebook Craze! The Ultimite Social Network

Facebook first came out in 2004 as a local social network site for students at Harvard University.  From that humble beginning, the site has grown in popularity to become the most popular social network in the U.S and now the world.  Facebook was designed as a site for college students, then expanded to include high schoolers, and has expanded to include now the general public.  Facebook users range from ages of nine years old to eighty year-olds.  Although it wasn’t until the fall of an earlier social network, MySpace did Facebook becoming the 21st century phenomenon that it is today.  Now it’s a movie.
The movie, "The Social Network,” was released in theaters this year, and it has become a box office hit.  I saw this movie recently.  This movie was not about social networks in general, but rather, about the king of all social networks, Facebook.  It amazes me personally that social networking has become so popular.  We can’t seem to get enough of it.  We want to watch and learn about the story of the formation of Facebook.  We are documenting history even as we still make it.  That last time a new form of media was turned into a movie was "You've Got Mail."   Just as we are fascinated with our own fascination of social networking, we were similarly interested in watching a story about e-mailing.  We are not that different from earlier generations who saw movies where the plot turned on mail delivered by a postman.  "The Social Network,: the movie, goes deep into the beginning of how Facebook began--"Facemash" as it was first called.  Created by the 20 year-old prodigy Mark Zuckerberg, has become the youngest billionaire due to his superior knowledge in programming and his creation of Facebook.  
I had always wondered what it is about Facebook that made it so distinct from all the other social networks.  Obviously there has to be something unique about Facebook that makes it special and more appealing to its users than all the other previous social networks.  The movie, which is made like a documentary, takes us from an idea in Zuckerberg’s head through the early start-up of the company he created.  In the movie there is a scene where another student asks Mark if he knows whether one of the girls in their class has a boyfriend or not.  Mark responds in a sarcastic tone, "I don't know man; people don’t just go walking around with a sign on them saying their relationship status."  After this exchange, he runs back to his dorm to add the relationship feed to Facebook and says to his partner, "It’s done."  It’s simple genius, but genius no less.   Previous social networks missed the mystery and intrigue of humans nature.  MySpace let you post photos, but Facebook created an online biography about people’s lives.  Facebook is a virtual scrapbook of a person’s life and interests.  With the ability to know almost everything about a person, friends and family can follow your life, keep in touch, and even comment on things that go on in your life, and you can do the same to friends and family.  The amount of information you want to see, have seen, or share is limited to your own imagination.  Of all the flowers that have blossomed on the internet, Facebook is the biggest and most colorful flower in the garden. 

Facebook continues to grow continuously adding new items.  Facebook has added an honesty box, the "like" button, which is now on many other sites, instant messenging chat, and the ability to download videos.  I'm not saying there was just one reason for why Facebook gained large popularity in the social network world because it was from a combination of things, including strategically marketing and advertising.  As the movie documents, the founders of Facebook did not want to put ads on the site too soon because it would lose its "cool" factor, or become just another commercial site.  When Facebook first started at Harvard it was hip and underground, and that’s what Zuckerberg did not want to lose.  For this and his understanding of humans, he has become the youngest billionaire, and they made a movie.

ClubPenguin! Who's Joining Next?

By: Reid Mene

            In this week’s class one of the students showed a presentation of a social networking site designed for children.   After her presentation there was much controversy over the subject.  Many students thought the site would be time consuming for parents, plus the site would allow violators to be able to get in contact with children.  After learning about this site I decided to do some web searching on my own to see if there was any other social networking sites designed for kids.  I found one called, ClubPenguin.com.  This site said it was intended for children ages eight and up which is a little bit older than the one that was discussed in class.  This social networking site is to allow kids to get their feet wet in the social network phenomenon we are currently in.  The site is not just a social networking site; it allows children to play fun games as well.  When first signing in to “ClubPenguin,” a child must create his own avatar, which is in the form of a penguin, to promote childlike fun for the site.  Kids are able to customize their avatar in whatever way they choose.  While on the site, other than being able to chat with friends after school, users are able to have their penguins go on a serious of missions, or the game portion of the site.  This social network site is half a game site and half a social network.  It is the introduction—social networking on training wheels—of internet social networking. 

        This site allows the parents to have total control over usage.  On the front page of the site there is a link for parents.  The instructions urge the use of parental control of their child’s profile, allowing them to set limits however they please.  For example, parents can regulate time use, content, viewers, sharing, etc.  Parents are sent emails when a child receives a friend request and the parent has full access to see their child’s conversations.  Parents  also receive warnings when potentially unpleasing material is presented on their child’s page.  The hope is to make parents feel that their child is safe on the site; safe from online predators. "ClubPenguin’s "overall message is that it is a safe, positive, fun place to network online with friends after school.  The site claims that the only violence on the site is the snowballs the penguins will throw at each other.  To promote safety even more, the site strongly urges their users not to post any personal information about themselves, even their sex.  Even if a user should post this information, the site detects it and deletes it from the user’s account.  The site talks about how they understand how children can get carried away with social networks, especially if they use Facebook.  The site encourages parents to sit down and talk with their children about safety, such as things to post and not to post. 

I really feel this site is much more parent oriented than the one that was discussed in class.  This site focuses on parental concerns and child safety.  I would allow my child to create an account on ClubPenguin.  It is fun way for kids to begin interacting on social networks, and gives children an understanding from the outset about responsibility and consequences associate with social networking.  In this way, parents help their child learn good habits when using social networking sites. If a child leans what to say and not to say on such sites then maybe the next generation will not have to be as shameless as we are now.

“Clubpenguin” is created by Disney and I really think because Disney is so well known and believed  to be safe fun for children this will become an extremely popular site for children of this social networking area. 

This is the intro-video that is posted on the front page of the site.  Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4GNaZE8t_8

New Media Concerning Multi-tasking

Today's Youth is like that of no other generation before it.  In today's society our youth never lives a dull moment and multi-taking is just becoming another part of our everyday hectic lives.  With all the new gadgets and technologies arising in todays new media its making them feel like they constantly have to be doing something every second of the day.  

Many people believe that multi-taking is a good thing and it helps the brain be able to function quicker by doing an assortment of so many things continuously.  Personally my view on multi-taking is that is making it very difficult for our youth to stay focused on one thing for any significant amount of time.  For instance the people in college and high school have the ability to do twenty different things during class of which is not paying attention to the lecture at hand.  With an assortment from cell phones, I-Pads, to PSP's and computers our youth is able to acquire all of these gadgets while in class.  Our youth is multi-tasking so much today its making it impossible for kids to focus in on one thing for a long period of time because their brain is so used to having to handle so many things at once, then when it comes down to them having to study for a big exam they have to study while IMing friends, listening to music checking there Facebook, just doing twenty other things while attempting to study.

An article from Times Magazine gives an example of how kids multi-task with todays new technologies, ""I usually finish my homework at school," he explains to a visitor, "but if not, I pop a book open on my lap in my room, and while the computer is loading, I'll do a problem or write a sentence. Then, while mail is loading, I do more. I get it done a little bit at a time." (Bylund,Time Magazine)  This article also talks about how energy drinks feed off of the new media that arises today.  With more and more new media coming out it makes people feel the need and have the ability to constantly be doing something, so energy drinks make it so kids can stay up for longer periods of time enabling them to multi-task longer and with more things. 

All these forms of new media is really effecting todays youth and their studies.  It is making kids procrastinate more and more, while coming to class sleep deprived with no interest of the topics at hand they are learning in class because they can just go on their phone or Facebook when board.  When a person is multi-tasking it takes away from the amount of information they can acquire.  When you focus on many things you are unable to obtain a sufficient amount of information rather then if you were focusing on one thing.

Below is a link to a chart of how multi-tasking is slit up in our youth.

http://www.kff.org/entmedia/upload/7592.pdf

Is Facebok Getting to Serious?

By: Reid Mene

 

            Currently Facebook is the most popular social network site in the country.  It attracts participants of all ages, races, creeds and genders. It is viewed as a way for people to communicate with one another while expressing themselves with the technologies we are  privileged to have today.  These days people are not holding back from posting anything about themselves, tagging each other in inappropriate pictures without thinking twice about it.  With so much information available  and posted  on Facebook a random person is able to acquire knowledge and sensitive information about anyone they choose from their Face book sites. 

           

With all this information on Facebook and with its mass popularity in our country individuals are asking society to take Facebook material less seriously.  Facebook began as a social network for college students.  It was intended for peers of their own age and from the same generation to be able to connect with one another on the Internet.  Now that Facebook is becoming so popular people are starting to take the information posted  too serious.  Today if a random person requests someone and they seem to have the “look” or are attractive the person will accept the friend request.  Although if their Facebook profile seems lame or dorky and they  don’t have a cool profile picture they will not usually be accepted.  People are letting these random people into their  personal lives and allowing them to view their pictures and learn more intimate information about them. In other words  private and personal  information is permitted to be viewed by individuals who do not know each other.  

 

            A large subset  of  people on Facebook are younger people and kids  who don't always take the information they post  seriously.Therefore they expect the reader to know that the information they are posting is a joke and not necessarily true.  People who look at their Facebook today will most likely think all the postings that are listed on their Facebook represent true information when in fact it might not reflect  accurate information about that person.  If the two people do not know each other very well then they are going to take all the information into consideration and judge that person on false information.  This issue also arises with  famous people where their   fans make Facebooks for them.  People might err in thinking that these are their actual Facebooks and comment on their wall, status, photos etc. thinking its actually them. This just makes the Face book star seem foolish and their actions disappointing  and results in the fans thinking less of them and having a negative view towards someone they previously thought very highly of.    

 

            Today people have to be more and more concerned about what they put on their Facebook for fear of future employers seeing it or colleges using the information when evaluating a high school student for college admittance.  Those who choose to use Facebook must realize the consequences of their actions when posting information . The information posted will be reflective of the individual  for better or worse.  Everyone knows what Facebook is . These days  if anyone  wishes to know about someone they can check their Facebook.  Facebook began as a fun way to interact with one another.   Now it is viewed as a personal biography of that person and everything that is on their Facebook directly represents them.

 Facebook today is the biggest form of false advertising I believe.  I have gown to know you can't judge who someone is off their Facebook  information. Facebook can be by individuals to recreate themselves in a more negative or positive light. Facebook should be used with caution as its users all have different motives for accessing the information. What was once thought to be a "fun" form of communication is now a more serious medium of communication and must be taken more seriously.

 

 

Texting, Angel or Daemon?

I was  raised during the boom of the cell phone era.  From the age of seven ,  I remember my mother going to work never failing to  leave without her cell phone, which by the way, was the size of a brick.  Today, cell phones are smaller than ever imagined and have the capacity of a computer and more.  Cell phones have revolutionized the world.  It was not that long ago that in order to call someone, your telephone had to be attached to a wall or a cord.  In other words, not only do cell phones  allow  us to talk anywhere, inside or outside, but now cell phones give people the capability to talk without ever having to say a word, i.e., texting.  Texting on cell phones began as something somewhat childish and trended toward the  teenage population. Today, texting has replaced the very purpose of cell phones, i.e., to make calls.   Texting  has captured  the attention   of people of all ages because it is a simple and direct form of communication. 

Not all people like the idea of texting.  Some believe that it is slower and more tedious to write  rather than talk.  Initially, I was not much of a “texter.”  To me, it was something people would do to appear hip.  There is no question that for certain uses, such as when you need only a yes or no confirmation, or where talking out loud is not possible, texting is simply the better form of communication.  What about people who text for hours at a time, and have in depth conversations when they could be talking.  Text messaging is cold and somewhat solitary.  It eliminates the human senses of sight, sound and smell of human conversation.  My own experience with texting has shown  that often the message I’m trying to convey does not always come across.  Sometimes I am serious while the other person thinks I am simply joking around, and vice versa.  I have come to the conclusion that it is literally impossible to solve any sort of argument or have any type of serious conversation via texting because  it’s simply too difficult to get ones true point across without hearing the sincerity of a person’s voice or the watch the sight of their face.  So my concern here is, can texting often lead  to the wrong message and actually cause more problems than it may seem to stop?  

I decided to conduct a survey with some of my peers.  I asked ten guys and ten  women  this queston.    Does  texting cause problems or solve  and  avoid problems.  Six out of the ten guys admitted that texting often confused the message.  Eight out of the ten  womoen agreed explaining that their texts were often misread or not completely understood.  I am surprised that people have long conversations via text messaging.  I know that texting for some people is their primary form of communication, but those persons have limited the depth of their communication.  Anyone can put a smiley symbol or a sad face, but to have a truly in-depth conversation with another human being there must be passion and personality in it.  The vibes one sends off through facial and body expressions are what truly make conversation meaningful. People will still converse by texting because it is easy and mindless.  However, it will never replace human conversation , which is precious.