So, AP Peeps, what needs to be said about this film? What ideas did the film prompt you to consider? Did the film prompt any pertinent questions? Did the film influence your thinking or perceptions of social networking/Facebook in any particular way?
"UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES"
I will initiate the discussion. There are many topics to pursue, but I will start with this one: In the film, Zuckerberg states at one point, "We still don't know what it is," in regards to "The Facebook" itself. Yes, we can comment on how we use Facebook and the manner in which we interact with our "friends"; however, we still don't know, ultimately, how Facebook will influence our lives. We will come across this idea of technology's uncertain effects, when we read Carr and Postman this fall. A new technology will have many unintended consequences, which the inventor had never imagined.
Two specific moments in the film struck me as crucial to the "tale of betrayal" theme. First was when Mark's lawyer refers to Eduardo simply by his first name, and the lawyers debate over how to adess him. Considering the two are "best friends" a formal manner isn't necessary according to Mark's lawyer, but as Eduardo's lawyer points out "they were" and clearly no longer are. This unforgivable betrayal is also evidenced during a certain scene when Eduardo refuses to look at Mark during negotiations, unless a question is directed at him. I became curious if greed for power was what ruined this friendship; Mark clearly resented Eduardo for freezing the account but his actions of nearly eliminating him from the company seem to surpass that. Comparing this to the greed that many blame for our current economic crisis, one might wonder: are we blinded by greed until we're swept up in the consequences, or do we just hope the potential benefits will outweigh those consequences?
ReplyDeleteThe beginning and ending scenes of the movie reminded me of the Dove film we watched in class, "Onslaught". In both cases, the initial image and final image bookend the films with a whole lot of chaos occurring in the middle. This similarity struck me, considering that one film was about 5 minutes long, while the other lasted 2 hours. I think this aspect of the film had a great effect on emphasizing the true meaning. When I watched Mark sitting alone at his computer, it really made me wonder about the direction that society is moving. It seems that "social" networks would be more appropriately named "solitary" networks.
ReplyDeleteThe last scene of the movie, where Mark is sitting at his computer all alone, really struck me. At the beginning of the movie, Mark is face-to-face with Erica, fighting over the way he acts. By the end of the movie he is confined to computer, refreshing the page over and over again to see if she finally responded to his friend request. This made the film come full circle for me. The social aspect of his life that he actually did possess, before creating facebook, was almost entirely lost by the end of the movie. I feel that Mark yearned for a way of having that social interaction but to have it in a way in which he could control. By creating facebook, he created an idea of a community. I think the appeal of facebook is that it gives people the feeling that they are never alone. All of the social awkwardness of meeting people is virtually taken away, leaving people with little to no skills in that area of real life. People want to be a part of something, and facebook allows for that satisfaction to occur with a click of a mouse. The issue of whether or not facebook really is a community or just another easy way out for people is subject to debate.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the movie, the first thought that came to mind was that Facebook is not a social network, but an extremely unsocial network. Although socially awkward to start with, in the beginning of the movie Mark is making an effort to be a sociable person by going to a bar with his girlfriend, Erica. After he loses Erica, Mark begins his slow descent into complete deprivation of real social interaction. By the end of the film, he is not out at a bar with friends but in an empty, bland, office room by himself, staring blankly at the screen of a laptop awaiting Erica's approval or denial to be his "friend". It leads me to wonder: can virtual social interaction really replace true, physical interaction? Have we used it as a supplement for the real thing? And does it truly make us as happy as the real thing?
ReplyDeleteResponding to what we discussed toward the end of the seminar, I do feel that we are being too hard on Mark just because we may not have all of the information. Are we accepting the movie's view and all of its implications as the truth? Could it be leaving information out? Mark Zuckerberg has Aspergers Disorder: something the movie does not even mention but accounts for why he appears to be acting like a jerk. Maybe the situation is not fully in his own hands. Mark even shows sympathy for Eduardo after he loses the company when he tells Sean, "You didn't have to be that hard on him." Plus, Mark tries to reach out to the attorney at the end of the film only to be shut down. Pehaps this website is helping him branch out because the only society that will accept him is the online world. Or perhaps not. Nevertheless, even though I find this movie to be extremely hilarious, clever and informative, I do not accept this film as the whole truth. Does this story allow us to see what is really there, or just what we want to see?
ReplyDeleteThe thing that struck me the most in the movie was the central role that status played. The way the movie portrayed Mark Zuckerberg, it seems as if everything he did was for status: getting into Finals Clubs, impressing the girl who dumped him, and never letting anyone tell him he needs help. I think this is representative of America. We are obsessed with status. Are you a_______ (doctor, lawyer, stockbroker, or loser)? Do you make annually_______ (75,000; 100,000; 250,000; nothing)? And the system by which Facebook runs is also representative of our obsession. We can status update so people know how fashionable our lives are, how drole and witty we are, and how much more so we are in all these respects compared to them. We desire to put our lives on public display because we need to compare our lives and prove to others that we are better than them.
ReplyDeleteA major idea in the movie, and throughout discussions on social networking is how unable we are to are as a society to live in the moment and focus on the tasks before us. The movie made me consider how having hundreds of "friends" and constantly being connected to the world through facebook really only disconnects us from society. We are losing all ability to communicate face-to-face which is going to harm us later in life. For Mark Zuckerberg he created a haven that he could escape into and avoid his social awkwardness. On the internet we can be anyone we want, but you see isn't always what you get. The film made me realize that just because a trend like facebook can spread throughout the world like wildfire, doesn't necessarily mean partaking in the phenomenon will do you any good. If you're losing your abilites to connect with other humans and enjoy life outside of cyberspace, why would you want ot spend all your time on facebook?
ReplyDeleteThe Social Network made me consider the concept of "Friends vs. Fame". In the movie, Mark Zuckerberg creates Facebook to fit in and aimed to be recognized as somebody important in society. Everything Mark does in the movie is based around "exclusivity" - a word mentioned at least three times during the film. This concept of being well-liked and part of a select group is what drove Mark to creating Facebook. Mark did not intend for Facebook to be a money-making scheme; when his partner Eduardo initially tries to incorporate ads and large companies into Facebook to make money, Mark is against the whole idea. This situation made me wonder why Mark was so against it--as Mr. Gutherman stated, Mark claims there was no way to know what Facebook would become, but I believe that he had other motives. I think that Mark's personality and personal beliefs are centered not around being successful, but truly about being a part of something larger than himself. In reality, while a mass of people would love to be included in anything "exclusive", I believe that a most of these people would prefer money and fame over friends and inclusion. What does this say about our society? -Emily Shapiro
ReplyDeleteWatching the movie reiterated the idea that Facebook has spread everywhere. It has become a daily part of our everyday lives. One of my favorite quotes from the movie is from the scene when Mark says he's just checking up on the network in Bosnia, and the woman in his lawyers office replies, "Bosnia doesn't have roads, but they have Facebook". I find it incredible that Facebook really has become a global trend. Whether this is a good trend or a bad trend is up for debate. In my opinion, there are lists of both pros and cons. However, I argue that Facebook definitely does inhibit being connected to people socially in real life situations as best as we could be interacting. At the end of the movie, Mark is just sitting alone in front of a computer, refreshing the page. He is just waiting for a friend request to be accepted. He no longer has friends in his life offline. He simply exists with millions of "friends" on Facebook, and has no one to interact with outside of the computer.
ReplyDeleteEver since leaving the movie theater I have tried to come up with a cohesive answer as to why Mark betrayed his best, and most likely only, friend. When passing over the question the most obvious answer is his attachment to exclusivity in status (money and occupation) as well as acceptance into the Final Clubs brought up in the first scene of the film. But I am unsatisfied with each answer I come up with because I cannot put myself inside his shoes--his decision does not logically make sense to me because Mark knew even owning a small percentage of a forth-coming company like facebook will earn someone millions. Another reason as to why Mark might have made his indescribable decision is jealousy. Mark wanted to be accepted into an exclusive club, and Eduardo was. Maybe Mark was intrigued by Shawn Park's "cool" shades and turned off by Eduardo's decision to seek advertisers. No reasons justify Mark's decision to rip off the person who helped him EVERY step of the way in creating the nation's #1 social networking website. Mark's computer skills are genius, but his twisted morals diminish their brilliance.
ReplyDelete"The Social Network" seemed to be pointing out how our culture seems to be quickly morphing into an overtly assimilating society.
ReplyDeleteNot only do we rush to embrace "cool" things like Facebook, but the "exclusivity" aspect pushes us to absorb each other to "fit in." Gradually, all the bumps are being smoothed out, society and culture becoming homogenized. The individual is just another repeated cell in this hive, a profile filled in to fit social norms.
In a way, Facebook and social networking sites seem to be so incredibly social that they push us to be physically less social. Mark is shown to have invented it to allow college kids to connect, meet each other, but it develops into a place where Mark is hiding behind his screen in attempting to contact his ex-girlfriend rather than trying to meet up with her in person again.
"The Social Network" underlines some underlying issues in our society. How is the nature of our social culture beginning to evolve and how is the focus of our views on our peers shifting?
This film for me seemed to pose the idea of what mark gave up in creating such a huge part of our lives today, and just why he created it in the first place. Mark created facebook basically because he wanted to raise his personal status amongst others. It does in fact make perfect sense that someone like this would be the creator, since afterall personal status is what facebook gets at in our lives-how others view you through your friends and profile. It's a way to constantly keep your status high and to monitor and control the people around you. It puts you in control of things, just like Mark wanted to do when he created it. Do I still intend and/or want to continue using facebook in the future? Yes. Do I think that my life has been bettered in some way from facebook? No. I think it's a mere accessory that although improves our lives is unnecessary if had never been created.
ReplyDeleteI thought that there were a number of different issues brought up in this film pertaining to what has become of our society: how much do we value friendship? Have we become too relient on the internet as a social tool? Why do we find Facebook so addicting? I truly wish I could answer that last question, after wasting so much time and not getting homework done by simply clicking the refresh button on my home page. Facebook is very addicting, and continues to take over more and more of everyday life. Originating with only Harvard students, then expanding to other colleges, then to high school students, and now finally ensnaring the adult population that was once so critical. Facebook has its benefits-my mother just scheduled her high school reunion using the site, and is able to keep in touch with her old friends. However, some use facebook as a substitution for social contact rather than an addition to it. Messages that used to be personal, strictly face-to-face are now being sent as Inboxes or Facebook Chat messages. And how many times have we seen or heard of a fight starting from a Facebook status, let alone the amount of bullying that goes on. "The Social Network" showed us both sides of facebook: the increased internet popularity, coupled with a decrease in actual popularity.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to make this a bit brief, since I just typed this and lost it.
ReplyDeleteAfter the movie I went home and looked at Mark Zuckerberg's profile, only to find that he wasn't even very active on facebook. This brought up many questions for me, many about how great facebook really is if the creator doesn't even use it all that often. This train of thought led me to something different...
When you think about it, isn't facebook a lot like newspeak? They both narrow your train of thought, though facebook does it with endless streams for information that shorten attention spans and useless information that make us think that this useless information is actually important. Plus, our social lives are actually shrunken by facebook, which confines us to our newsfeed and walls, not giving much room to meet people and become friends, just giving you a place to get even more wrapped up in your own little world.
If this confinement of thought is continued, are we headed in the direction of 1984, to the point where some thoughts are even crimes?
Will the government ever get control of facebook or something like it, and use that as a mean of conditioning our ways of thinking?
If it wasn't Mark Zuckerberg who created facebook, it would have been someone else. It seems like this idea would have sprung up at some point or another. The thing is that Zuckerberg knew that people didn't just want to be connected to other people, but to people they knew. He found a flaw in the basis of sites that had existed before and made a few simple changes while incorporating aspects of human interaction into an online engine. But know what we have seen trough the articles that we recently disscussed in class that Facebook and social networking in general is now being used to meet new people rather than just be connected to people that we know in real life. We can see the development of a new form of friends met and conversed with exclusivly online.
ReplyDeleteFacebook digressed from what it was intended to be - a site where people can connect with others. People do use it for connection, but they also use it for stalking others, which was not what the site was originally supposed to be used for. But facebook actually turned into this huge part of our lives because we as a society made it so. Even Mark Zuckerberg did not know what he intended it to be, admitting in the movie that he “doesn’t know what is it or what it can be”. Facebook just turned out to be a networking site that creates a new world for us where people virtually live through their lives.
ReplyDeleteIn facebook, we find in it something so appealing or addictive and these appeals drive us to use it as often as we do even if we know that we should not. It is a site where people are addicted and obsessed over pointless things like statuses, or notifications or inboxes. But in these notifications, we feel that we are somehow significant or part of something. The more notifications that we get the more we feel relevant, and it is this yearning to matter that leads us to stay on facebook like when Mark Zuckerberg keeps refreshing the page to see if that girl accepted his friend request at the end.
We are the ones that exploit, overuse and obsess over it. If it wasn’t for society facebook wouldn’t be what it is today. So I would n’t blame Mark Zuckerberg for our addiction to his site. Instead I’d cut him some slack because at the end of the day, he did make a site that connected everyone whether it be through poke, writing on walls, chats, inboxing or whatever. I guess that in a way, he wanted to feel relevant too.
Facebook’s homepage states that it “helps you connect and share with the people in your life”, but in actuality, it disconnects you and may even separate you further. It makes it excusable to write happy birthday colloquially on someone’s wall instead of saying it face-to-face, calling or sending a handwritten card. I think the greatest appeal of Facebook is that it gives people the confidence to “connect” to others and to feel like they are a part of something big—like a huge social network. Mark Zuckerburg’s portrayal in The Social Network is the perfect example of this; he hides behind a screen to express his opinions and to connect to people in order to feel like he has accomplished something.
ReplyDeleteWhat I also realized is that Facebook encompasses a lot about preexisting human nature. Although we don’t always acknowledge it, we do live in a world that is driven by numbers. It actually reminds me a lot of Race to Nowhere. The Race to Nowhere talks about how kids today are doing homework for hours on end trying to perfect a college application to get to a highly ranked college so that they could get a high paying job. After all, success in our society seems to be largely defined by rankings and status. It just proves human nature’s desire to feel the need to fit in and to be recognized. It’s a big competition to be the best and then to be praised for it. It makes me wonder why we can’t just be satisfied with our lives. Some people use Facebook as a marketing and advertising tool except they’re trying to sell the idea that they’re sociable and that they’re doing something. It’s all just a race to nowhere.
It is incredibly true that we have no way of really determining how Facebook will affect our lives. To try to anticipate its results will most certainly result in a great error. One of the major themes of "Social Network" was that it was originally meant to be a quick hit website that would attract followers who would occasionally post a picture or share a status. In fact, the idea of Facebook did come from Mark Zuckerburg as he changed it from an occasional website into a lively and creative social network. Facebook has not died out mainly because of its seemingly user-friendly layout and its constant evolution. Zuckerburg sought to create an almost virtual world in which the users themselves would not only stay on the website for long periods of time, but would feel the need to.
ReplyDeleteIt was only a few years ago when the original Facebook layout was changed and criticism battled support for the new idea. A News Feed was added in order to keep the user interested and wait constantly for new posts or photos. It wasn't too long ago when Facebook Chat was added almost obliterating the purpose and use of AIM and creating a website that legitimately could take up a person's entire day. Even now, Facebook has altered the Chat so that pictures of online friends appear instead of simply their names. This tactic attracts people towards chatting with others and towards chatting with more and more people each time they are on Facebook. Facebook changes and evolves in order to not only maintain its original use, but to create new ones as well.
The scary part about Facebook is our willingness to see it as a suitable alternative to reality. Facebook Chats are seen as alternatives to actually talking with a person face-to-face and posting photos is seen as a suitable alternative to describing a trip or experience. Facebook grows on people to the point where people almost need Facebook even though they say they don't. The hypocrisy of many people towards Facebook is undeniable. Even the writers of Social Network most likely have Facebook Pages or Profiles.
I think it's interesting how Mark, a social outcast, created the most popular social network in the world today. The way we socialize on facebook isn't applicable to the way we socialize in real life. Often our social behavior on facebook is rude and unsociable in the real world. Mark was more comfortable behind his computer than anywhere else and we are following his lead. We already find it easier to converse through a computer than to have a face-to-face conversation. This social network is actually stunting our social growth.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the movie, discussing it in class, and then using it at home, certain truths have become evident to me. Facebook isn't evil, it's the people who use them or choose not to use them are the ones in question. As a society we regard Facebook as this massive corporation that dictates every aspect of our life. In actuality, this is simply not true. Facebook derives it's power from two types of people: those who are addicted to it's pages, and those who detract from it and view it as a malicious entity. The latter put the site on a pedestal it can't actually live up to. The thought that Facebook disconnects you from real life is ludicrous. The inception of the website itself was originally predicated on it being the friendship equilavent of match.com. Mark Zuckerberg may have been a jerk, but that doesn't make Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg would never have any real friends even if he had never invented Facebook, and popular kids who use Facebook aren't likely to lose friends because of the site. All in all Facebook is just a domain, the power it gets is derived from the people.
ReplyDeletei found the film to have a large irony to it. Mark is an average kid at the start of the movie with one good friend. knowing that his social skills aren't very good, he still manages to create a site that is one of the most popular social networks. the end of the movie is what really hit me. when he kept hitting refresh, his life had already taken a turn for the worse and even though he created a social network, he lost his real friends in the process. By hitting refresh he is hoping his life will get better and that he can erase what had already happened. Mark proves that his own site is a way for people to think they have friends. He only knew true friendship before he developed this and he never took in to consideration how lucky he was in his life before. His popularity has increased but his social status had fallen no where into existance.
ReplyDelete-Nicole T
What got me thinking during the movie was the fact that neither Mark nor Edwardo knew the direction Facebook was going in. The only thing they knew was that it was "cool" and got them popularity. Quickly, they saw it expand, and the fact that it is still growing even today is astounding. It is also undergoing continuous change, and is being used for a broader spectrum of activities--from keeping in touch with friends far away, to creating groups of people with similar interests, to matching up roommates, etc. It is ever-changing and never stays in one form. After all, it all started with wanting to connect college students, and even, become popular on campus, and now look where it's ended up. It is now used all over the world! Facebook not only fascinated me in the movie, but made me connect its tendency to change form rapidly to real life. How change nowadays happens so fast in comparison to how rapidly it took place in past years. Also, how things never result in the way one intends, and it is up to the individual to adapt and take things as they come. The lingering question is, how will we take Facebook and other technologies as they are churned out in years to come? Will we be able to control our ever-growing addiction to technology? Or will our desires and the actual devices come to control us?
ReplyDeleteEvery once in a while you see a film that connects to your life and makes you reevaluate the actions you rehearse everyday. The "Social Network" was one of those films. Who, after watching the movie considered updating their status when they came home? I know the thought went through my mind, and this scares me. Society has come to a point where we need constant human interaction. However, instead of meaningful moments where people come together to share their intellect and worries of the day, people share tidbits of information via Facebook. I feel this shift in society was greatly represented in the film by the contrast between the beginning and ending scenes. The film opened with a somewhat awkward date between Mark Zuckerburg and his girlfriend, meanwhile life is thriving in the bar scene behind them. On the other hand,the end is filled with the sounds of loneliness, as Mark clicks incessantly on the refresh button in the hopes that the same girl will accept his "friend" request. Now, I ask the question, which scenario is really more awkward? Are humans as a whole happier this way?
ReplyDeleteIn one of the discussions the question was brought up about why facebook is as addictive as it is? Looking back on the movie at the very last scene even Mark Zuckerburg, the inventor of this infinite website, is sucked into the heap of facebook. The viewers see him consistently refreshing the page to see if Erica, his love interest, has accepted his friend request. Which just goes to show how truly addicting this social network has become. But the real question is why? Why do people spend hours upon hours each day updating friend requests, commenting on pictures and writing on walls? It's because humans like convenience. It is so simple to sign onto your computer and check how your neighbor down the street is down with just a click of a button. The simpler the better. But just how simple will it go? We as humans like convenience but when will we realize that sometimes convenience isn't the best answer? That quick and rapid speed isn't the right way to pursue with life. The old saying "slow and steady wins the race" relates to the concept and interest behind facebook. Everyone wants the new high-speed computer because no one wants to wait the five extra seconds for a web page to load. What new doors has facebook opened to us in the future? What will facebook be in ten or twenty years? Just how far will facebook go to grant societies wishes?
ReplyDeleteTwo questions came to my mind after the movie and seminar: should I continue to log on to facebook or never use it again? After the movie I went home and of course when on facebook, but while I was logging on an unsettling feeling came over me. After discovering how the monster that controls our lives was invented, I questioned whether I wanted this obsession in my life. The class seminar left me debating if facebook had influenced me into becoming a worse social being. I thought back to some of the recent interactions I had with friends during lunch and in class and wondered if I could have improved my connections with them. It is very easy to feel uncomfortable and out of place when speaking to someone new. Facebook contributes to the increasing feeling of unease. When we are constantly living behind a computer, we are losing our people skills. The movie and seminars left me with a new outlook and goal. Now I plan on trying to interact more in person and less on facebook.
ReplyDeleteFor me, it is hard to believe that Facebook can literally make us less capable to socialize among other people, as was suggested in the seminar. However, I recognize that Facebook is changing our social norms. It is not unusual for someone to know the names and details about every person in the school just because they saw them on Facebook. Even the meaning of the term "stalking" has changed. Instead of being a scary or creepy action, it is thrown around by teens who might say, "I Facebook stalked you last night", which simply means that you looked at their Facebook page. Knowing information about someone that may have seemed creepy is now justified. Not only are we willing to share extensive details of our personal lives with our large amount of “friends”, but we expect the same from others. Facebook and other internet sights allow us to find out an incredible amount of information about someone else. Rather than take the time to approach someone with a question, I know that I can simply log onto Facebook and check his or her info, status or wall posts for the answer. I might even get lucky and have the answer appear right on my news feed!
ReplyDeleteFacebook, and the story of its creation as illustrated in The Social Network, are outrageously ironic. Supposedly Facebook was created to assist those who are socially challenged to meet new people. Rather than socializing in person, people began to do so online. This had the reverse effect of what was intended because society became more socially crippled than prior. People can no longer have face-to-face conversations without feeling awkward. Another ironic piece is how it was intended to be an exclusive site. Originally, only certain people would be able to view your personal profile and could be your "friend". Society has gone in the polar opposite direction where quantity is valued over quality. Exclusivity is no longer applicable. When Mark states that "We still don't know what [Facebook] is" he was right. His original intentions were adapted, thus stripping us of our confidence to be social away from our computer screens.
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ReplyDeleteWhen we think about our uses of facebook, for the most part it is the stalking of others. We accept friend requests from people we barely know, and give them access to our pictures and personal information. Creepy?...I think so. But for the most part facebook was created out of peoples insecurity and desire to feel empowered. Also, to adress how facebook will influence our lives, it will certainly reduce our social skills, creating awkward face to face interaction, something that an advanced society should not be striving towards. Essentailly all face to face connections are being replaced, all human interactions, making us no more advanced then robots.
ReplyDeleteMark Zuckerberg never INTENDED for Facebook to diminish human social interaction, but nevertheless, many believe this to be true today. By simply typing from behind a computer screen, people do not gain any social skills at all,(a concept that Zuckerberg should have thought about when creating this website for the "socially challenged")thus making it even more difficult for people to interact face to face when nessecary. Some argue that the impersonal online networking that we are exposed to constantly is making us forget our social skills. Facebook is a collection of online people with personalities that can make friends, talk to each other, and even play games with each other, much like people can do in real life. Facebook allows the individual to go through the actions of making friends and interacting with other people, while they never actually do so in reality."Facebook friends" are just a list of names and faces. Facebook and social networks like it are surpassing being social interaction AIDS, and skipping right to being social interaction REPLACEMENTS. The line between having good social skills and having good computer skills is being blurred.
ReplyDeleteAfter the movie, I headed home and found myself at the computer signing onto Facebook. It wasn't still this moment that I realized how much of a presence Facebook had on my life. Facebook offers a virtual reality where people can be the social butterfly they have always dreamed of being without any direct human interactions. For the lonely, it provides a sense of community because people are constantly exposed to random bits of information ranging from events to births developing a false form of intimacy. It is essentially revealing that it is human nature to want to be apart of a group or in this case a community. In Mark Zuckerburg's case he was a socially awkard individual and was suffering from a recent break up which lead him to create a world where no one can feel isolated.
ReplyDeleteI think it is very clear to Parker the power that facebook has. In one of the final scenes of the movie, he discusses his future plans for facebook: pictures. He talks about how adding pictures to facebook will literally change how people party. He said with pictures on facebook, people will go to parties, take pictures, and post them to facebook. He claimed camera's would be everywhere, taking pictures of everything. He was not so far off, evidence of that will exist when we see the number of "halloween" albums on facebook that come out in the next 2 weeks.
ReplyDeleteSimply conceeding that parker can predict a societal trend does not mean that I think facebook is in any way harmful. People are still capable of interacting with each other, it's not like people spend their friday nights in front of computers, or text through every lunch period. Without a doubt, facebook is changing the way we interact; however, we stil need to know how to communicate with people and what to say to be able to interact on facebook. It's not like a computer makes someone type something funny, they still have to know how to be funny to say it.
After viewing "The Social Network" and discussing it in our seminar, I have finally seen how negative an impact Facebook is making on my life. It is becoming all to common, not just in social networks, but in advertising and the beauty industry, for a person, even a young adolescent, to feel a pressure pushing them to join an exclusive group. It is almost a cult-like behavior that overwhelms us to do anything in order to be a part of the "cool" group. Worse, once we are in, we look down on outsiders because they aren't "in the know". Even after making a facbook (I only made one in the first place because all my friends had one), I still feel pressured to to check it once a day because I don't want to miss out on any gossip, which would cause me to be "out of the loop". Being on facebook is becoming a job. It is on the top of people's priorities. They would rather be the first to update photos, comment on photos or change their profile pics, even if it means bailing on the truley SOCIAL plans they already had.
ReplyDeleteIt has gradually become more apparent that we enjoy micromanaging our lives and checking on the statuses of others beacuse it gives us a sence of empowerment. We utylize facebook as a tool to regulate each other and ourselves. We have shaped facebook to fit our superficial needs: The desire to have the most friends, a race for popularity, and competition for higher status. Bottom line-we no longer want to go through our teens under the radar. We want to make a statement, and we will go through any means for our peers to know it.
Throughout the film, Zuckerburg, too, pushes to make the latest obsession for this very reason. By making facebook, he was probably not planning on becoming the most popular man in the world, but he could live through the success of Facebook. This widespread popularity of the website would be a source of validation and reassurance that he really was important. After this film, it is actually pretty unfortunate that we are SO dependent on "social" networking to make us feel like we are a part of something.
I found this movie to be pure irony. The idea of pursuing 500 million friends, and not being able to actually be friends with anybody is Zuckerburgs ironic fate. He created this space where people can literally be "friends" with anybody, but as evidence of the movie, the friendship made on this website does not correlate to the real world. The term "status" takes on a whole new meaning, where by updating one's status, they attempt to build a social status by how many comments and "likes" they receive. The other irony here is that everyone is encouraged to create their own "individual" page, and make it their own with photos and favorite quotes. Well, hate to break it to you, but 499 million other people are doing the exact same thing. Doesn't seem so individual now. I have realized that me being on facebook is just another way for my privacy to be invaded, and for me to be used by advertisers, as well as staying connected to friends of course...how could i forget.
ReplyDeleteMark Zuckerberg intended for Facebook to be a way to help people control their lives better, which was something he had trouble with himself, as we all saw in the movie. He could not control his anger in his blog about Erica after their fight in the bar in the first scene, and at the end he let his control go. One of the quotes in the articles we read yesterday and discussed today was "We don't control them; they (meaning social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter) control us." I disagree with this statement. Websites are not able to control us. The only ones who can control us is simply us. We are taking this excuse that we are being controlled and using it to block out reality. I think this is the real problem. We are saying that our time is being so consumed. And whose fault is that? Ours, not the website's, not the company's, not the creator's. We are the ones creating these profiles, and willingly going online. Also, how would a website be able to take control of its own creator? This is what seemed to occur during the last scene, where we saw Mark refreshing the page over and over again just to see if Erica would accept or reject his friend requests. It's as though he had a "nervous disorder", as another one of the quotes from the articles said.
ReplyDeleteOne more thing is that while Facebook is meant to be for not only reconnecting, but meeting new people. The reconnecting part makes complete sense. However, how many of you have actually met someone new on Facebook? On the contrary, whenever a friend request comes up with no mutual friends, don't you press ignore without hesitation and as quickly as possible? I definitely do, and for obvious reasons.
This movie, the seminars, and especially the articles have really shown Facebook in a new light. It should be for communicating with people you don't get to see on a daily basis. Unfortunately, we use it for talking to people that we could just as easily call to hang out with in person. The internet causes us to become different people and to lose our social skills, something that is very crucial in the real world. Mark's creation was truly ingenious; however, everyone has been taking advantage of it and blaming it for their problems.
While watching The Social Network and seeing Mark on the screen, I felt tinges of self-recognition. I sympathized with Mark throughout the movie because I could understand the reasons for his frustration. Since the need for attention is universal, Mark resolves his frustrations by creating a universe in which he is the center of attention.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it was not his intention, Mark created a system in which each of us could share in the limelight. As we gather more and more "friends" on Facebook, our sense of importance grows. Our egos are fueled by the ever increasing number of virtual connections. Since we give our self-absorbed thoughts the most attention and value, it is only natural that we worship the sites that promote these selfish impulses. Therefore, I do not believe that using social networking sites is a choice, nor do I believe that one is pressured by the environment to join them. I believe that using Facebook is just a natural tendency to express oneself, even if it means expressing our worst characteristics.
Coming away from the movie, and furthered by the seminars, I believe i walked away with a wariness for technology. Between watching Mark continually press the refresh button hoping to get acceptance in a virtual world created by him from a girl he had hurt in actuality to reading about someone going into a pub acting as if they are online, demonstrates how far the boundary between the physical world and the cyber world has deteriorated. A further example of this point would be language -- language is what keeps people together. The way that they communicate with one another dictates what type of society exists. However, as sites such as facebook become more prevelant, our language begins to become warped, littered with abrieviations such as brb, lol, or btw. As more and more people use these cyber world abrieviations in common conversation in the physical world, the more importance the cyber world gains in our society. Essentially, what I came away with then, is the fact that our society is shifting its focus from the physical world to that of the cyber world. Deep and meaningful relationships in reality have less weight than a fake one on the internet -- the girl Mark hurt may feel comfortable being his friend on the internet whereas she could barely look at him in the real life.
ReplyDeleteStarting off, I must say that the acting was excellent. With that out of the way, The Social Network is a movie that shows us the origins of Facebook, and how it rose to be a dominating hub on the internet. But after watching the movie, it made me relize that Facebook's history is one of unethical business practices. But that made me think, "What company actually practices good business practices"? The truth is, although Mark Zuckerberg is a jerk (as portrayed by the movie), and he betrayed Eduardo in a hasty act of revenge, Zuckerberg still succeeded. And we continue to use his product: Everytime we visit facebook, we recieve advertisements on the side. These advertisements are the source of revenue for Facebook. Obviously, I feel bad for Eduardo, and I think someone should teach Zuckerberg social skills, but truthfully, we all use Facebook, and we will continue to use Facebook. Humans, by nature, are social creatures, and this is another example of our social behaviors. Facebook is here to stay.
ReplyDeleteThe Social Network fascinated me; a college student incapable of social interactions creates the ultimate socializing site. While this originally struck me as highly ironic, I began to realize that the website offers awkward individuals to recreate themselves while hiding behind a computer screen. The awkward situations of face-to-face conversations are gone and they can carefully screen what goes onto their profile for the world to see.
ReplyDeleteThis alternate universe of socialization leaves me worried that I truly don't know most of my online friends. Instead of asking what they did on the weekend, I check their new album which documents everyone they were with and each activity done. Instead of sincere communication, people can instantly access status updates to learn everything worthwhile. The only question left to ask is how much this escalating phenomenon of technological communication inhibits our society's ability to interact in person.
sorry I found this on facebook, so i just wanted to remind everyone that this is a movie just like citizen Kane was a movie with fictionalized characters(source article wired magazine and movie)I also find it interesting to think about the question, Ten years after you leave ardsley high school what will they be saying about you and your social skills in english class? This movie or just a portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg applies more to where the ambitions of an ardsley high school student can take them then Race to nowhere because this actually happened.Also this discussion and all the ideas that have come out of it are only possible because of social media, the same kind of thoughts and ideas are being discussed on facebook as many students have facebook open when they are doing there homework throughout the school year.Please ignore, delete,block or report this comment if you see fit-facebook ardsley office
ReplyDeleteThe Social Network explores far more profound topics than just a life story of Mark Zuckerburg. Despite having the movie focused on mark, we can see the underlying messages that the producers were trying to say about Facebook. Mark is only the vehicle via that we are exposed what they think about Facebook; essentially Mark’s personality is what people are becoming as they get immersed into the online social network.
ReplyDeleteMark was portrayed as a narcissistic social inept, only caring about himself. Yet he makes efforts in the beginning to reach out, having a girlfriend for a short period of time, but ultimately fails because he essentially focuses on himself. Eduardo is his only remaining friend, whom he eventually backstabs over a petty dispute. At that point he has no real friends, only people who pretend to be his friends. The same is essentially the same for Facebook. As we spend more time on Facebook we stop hanging out with our friends in reality, content to just having as many “friends” as possible on Facebook and not really talking with any of them, still thinking we know them all when in reality we don’t. The final scene in the movie was the most profound scene for me, as it reflected a cruel cycle in which people lose their friends and have to believe that Facebook friends are true friends. They essentially become the narcissistic anti-social being that Mark transformed himself into, only caring about their status updates and their profile page, and unable to interact with real people.
I think the Social Network fits best into the "tale of ambition/rise to the top" archetype. It's a (fictional?) story of Marc Zuckerburg and how he is disillusioned, as most teenagers are, by the prospect of fame. He wants social status and notoriety. This is easily noted from the beginning of the movie where he talks non-stop about the exclusive final clubs and what he has to do in order to be able to be accepted into one. And, he's talking about this to his girlfriend: the girl he's supposed to feel close to and the girl he's supposed to express all his deep longings to. The fact that he just went on and on about final clubs clearly illustrates his desire to be one of the elite in society, or at least in college life.
ReplyDeleteHis pursuit of fame and power is also evident when he met Sean Parker, the notorious creator of napster. This usually stoic and angry looking boy completely transformed into an energetic little boy meeting his hero. The "coolness" which seemed to radiate off of Sean Parker completely blinded Marc and attracted him like a fly is attracted to the light. But, in the end, it is the light, or Sean in Marc's case, that leads to Marc's demise. It is Marc's unrestrained pursuit of forming a legacy that leaves him alone in the empty conference room with only a computer in front of him.
However, I don't think his greed is completely his fault. He seems to be the kind of child who didn't have many friends growing up and doesn't really understand how to truly make friends. But even so, he really does want to be accepted into society and he notices that in college, the other kids automatically become popular once they are accepted into a final club. Marc, a social alien, views this to be the only way to be accepted into society and does everything he can to be "cool".
Facebook has a gift: it lures people in and snatches them away into the world of social networking and cyberspace. This world that Facebook creates is so addictive to teenagers and young adults because it allows them to act in a world that does not exist. People have alter egos online that portray someone else; someone who they want to be rather than who they actually are. This persona allows them to be who they've always dreamed of being. Especially in an age group such as this that is so very contained and manipulated. As teenagers, we are sent to high school to receive an education five out of seven days a week. We listen to teachers and what they have to say, such as doing your homework, studying for a test, behaving well, getting good grades, for goodness sake, we ASK to use the bathroom. We are so very confined in our little world that entering the world wide web gives us opportunites that we could never experience in real life--and that's what compels us to log in to Facebook.
ReplyDeleteSorry!! Smiley = Samantha Lee (blogger just did that automatically, my bad)
ReplyDeleteIt is difficult to understand what exactly is going on around us while we are living through it. And often times we think we understand it, but we really don’t. Let’s take face book for example; it’s referred to as a “social networking site.” Is it really? Well what is a social networking site? A website that links people together so friends can talk. But how many of our friends on face book are actually our friends? And what do we do more on face book, talk to our friends or stalk their pictures and profiles, rating them, seeing what they’re doing? Many of us realize that, but no one wants to give it up because one it’s addictive! We are addicted to social acceptance. Two, it can fulfill social needs for the socially anxious; relive all the anxieties of real life. And finally, because no one else seems to think anything is wrong. It takes some major occurrence to happen or for the event to end for us to be able to look back on it and reflect at which point we realize all the flaws we once believed were attributes to, in this case, Face book. Mark Zuckerberg himself said that face book was never ending, which seems more possible each and every day.
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