Facebook

In chapters 5 to 10, David Kirkpatrick summarizes how Thefacebook transformed into Facebook, a multibillion company with big-time investors. In these chapters, Mark Zuckerberg’s values and leadership skills are presented. The description of Facebook as Zuckerberg’s baby and the interest Zuckerberg had in the Washington Post because “it’s just such a long-term focus there, and that they’re so focused on the brand of Washington Post and the trust it has”(pg 109) shows Zuckerberg’s attachment to Facebook. The final decision to make an investment deal with Accel because of an $80 million postinvestment valuation proves that the Facebook is a business first and even Zuckerberg could not resist a high offer over a moral dilemma.

Although Zuckerberg wanted Facebook to be a social network and that alone, pressures and need for income through advertisement lead to the development of algorithms to establish which Facebook users were target consumers for advertisers (pg 143). The declaration of Facebook as “a utility” by Zuckerberg gave it an “affinity with the telephone network and other communications infrastructure of the pas…a new communications medium”(pg 144). This ensured that Facebook would not die off because of the sole reliance on its coolness the way that Friendster had. The reason why Zuckerberg continued to have so much power and authority during the development of Facebook is because Sean Parker gave Zuckerberg his board seat after he stepped down from his position as president of Facebook; this resulted in Zuckerberg’s control of a total of three board seats.

The "ethos of openness and transparency that was at the heart of the company's values" (pg 158) is admirable and is the root of Zuckerberg's vision for Facebook; this vision is to allow users to only have one identity on Facebook so "that may allow people to recognize things about you that they never previously knew, whether for good or ill"(pg 194).Niel Postman states in his book Technopoly the fear that "Cultures may also suffer grievously from information glut, information without meaning, information without controlled mechanisms.”(pg 70). Zuckerberg has made all information of Facebook users available in the "News Feed" but users have the ability to control what they put out on Facebook and who can access their information. Therefore, it can be argued that Facebook is not to blame for the suffering that results from the broadcast of personal information but the person himself/herself who did not edit what they broadcast.  

Scientology: As told by Wikipedia

After auditing Wikipedia's page on Scientology, I have come to the conclusion that Wikipedia cannot be used as a scholarly source because of the biased opinions present. Because there were 266 works that were cited and used in the Scientology page, the amount of research done on the topic is the strength of Wikipedia. The weakness of Wikipedia is the biased nature of it and the amount of outdated and invalid sources that are cited. The semi-protection that the Scientology page is under assures users that not just any Wikipedia editor can edit the page. However, because the Scientology page is supported by WikiProject Scientology, the biased nature of the page is more questionable. Although WikiProject Scientology claims that they promote Wikipedia editors who have an unbiased view of Scientology, they also claim that they support editors who seek to improve Scientology's image as a whole. Therefore, the negative press surrounding Scientology is not present in the page and this editing can be seen as biased.

The strength that Wikipedia has in providing a large list of cited sources allows people to do further research on the topics given. This shows that technology has changed the American culture from one that relies on "hear say" information on controversial matters to one that is more prone to do research on those topics. Although the information that people obtain from Wikipedia is likely to be more abundant than the information obtained from other people, the quality of the information on Wikipedia remains questionable. Because most Wikipedia users probably do not look into the sources that are cited on Wikipedia pages, this shows that the American culture is also one that does not question the validity of information given to them.

Through this experience of auditing Wikipedia's page on Scientology, I have learned the importance of doing further research on topics searched on Wikipedia by looking into the sources that are cited on the Wikipedia pages. It has also now come to my attention that the authors of works cited can be repeated many times and therefore have a large influence on the contents of the Wikipedia page. I have also learned that pages on Wikipedia can be supported by groups and be semi-protected by Wikipedia. In any future use of Wikipedia, I will be more wary of the validity of it's contents and will visit the works cited to determine if the Wikipedia page is biased.

Thefacebook -> $ ->facebook -> $$$

The book that I have been looking forward to read the most is The Facebook Effect by David Kirkpatrick and after reading the first few chapters along with the prologue, it definitely seems that the best book was indeed saved for last. I was expecting the prologue to present some glossy background information on how much success and revenue the facebook company has gained thus far but what I found was quite the opposite. Oscar Morales's story of creating the facebook group "Un Million de voces Contra Las FARC" that eventually lead to a global march against FARC (the REvolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) who's guerrillas were kidnapping innocent people was a touching introduction. This example of how networking can unite people for a cause leads to the questions on facebook's effects on the real-world that Kirkpatrick poses in his book.

Having payed ten dollars and fifty cents to watch The Social Network, the first chapter presented some familiar information on how facebook was founded by Mark Zuckerberg and all the legal battles resulting from it. The in-depth information that was lacking in the film is fortunately present in this book. According to the book, the collaborative efforts of Zuckerberg and his roommates to create new computer programming projects was a routine activity for the boys and this "...wasn't too noteworthy at Harvard."(pg 22) where "Down every hall were gifted and privileged children of the powerful."( pg 22). However, to Zuckerberg,    "Making Thefacebook fun was more important than making it a business."( pg 33). The idea of facebook being a social networking site was not revolutionary because websites like Myspace and Friendster were already created but what lead  to the popularity  of Zuckerberg's site Thefacebook was the exclusivity of it. When first created, Thefacebook, later renamed facebook, was only for Harvard students and later Ivy League schools. Kirkpatrick describes the importance of social ranking in Harvard with the popularity of Zuckerberg's early Internet software called Course Match which allowed students to decide which classes they take based on which students were already registered in them. Aside from the usual flirting and networking that most social networks were already used for, Thefacebook introduced a new medium for "creating study groups for classes, arranging meetings for clubs, and posting notices about parties.

With popularity and traffic growing, Thefacebook easily gained partnership with Y2M which placed ads on Thefacebook. This advertising income helped Zuckerberg and his colleagues buy new equipment and servers to support Thefacebook's growth. Through it's popularity, Facebook has become the world's largest social network. This is not to say that Mark Zuckerberg was a genius for creating Facebook. The pattern of copying and competing in the computer industry introduced earlier in the book Computers by Eric Swedin and David Ferro is essentially what Zuckerberg has done. Although it can be argued that codes and forums from other social networking sites were not used by Zuckerberg, the idea of facebook is influenced by websites like Friendster, ConnectU, and  houseSYSTEM . Aaron Greenspan,who claims that he "invented The Facebook"( pg 84), experienced the consequence of neglecting to patent his ideas the way Edward Roberts, the founder of MITS, did not patent his idea of the microcomputer as discussed by Swedin and Ferro (Computers 89).

The success that Mark Zuckerberg and facebook has gained is indisputable. Giles Slade mentions in his book Made to Break :"We are going to have to live and be comfortable and maneuver in a computer environment" (pg 224). The wide usage of  facebook proves that a large part of today's society already live that comfortable computer environment.

Different Websites Used for Different things

The most useful website for sharing information that I personally use is wikipedia.org. As sketchy as the information may be, there is a guarantee that I will find an article on a topic of my interest. It requires user participation and contribution but I am strictly a reader.

For personal relationships I most often use Facebook.com. Almost everyone in my sphere of friendships can be found on that site and it keeps me connected to the ins and outs of their life.

etsey.com is a commerce site that one of my friends use to sell items of jewelry and clothing that she designs. The website specifically promotes the buying and selling of handmade goods.

A website that revolves around health is webmd.com. The site provides information on the latest articles on health and medicine. Users can get research illnesses that they may be afflicted by.

ancestry.com is a website that contributes to the public good because it notifies people of their lineages. In doing so, the website also connects people to living relatives whom they had not known.

The Social Network

So I went out and watched David Fincher's movie The Social Network and I have to say that I was not disappointing. I was curious to know how Facebook morphed from a strictly college social networking website into a broader network that include highschoolers and adults. The process and drama that lead up to what facebook has become is head spinning and true American story. Although I don't know how much of the story has been fabricated and dramatized, what I blog about is based on what was presented to me.

Aside from the technical findings of algorithms and codes involved in the movie, the relationships between friends and lovers are the focal points. The fact that the character Mark Suckerberg was able to create "FaceMash" while in a drunken stupor really glorifies his intelligence and tech-ability. However, Suckerberg's attitude towards love interest Erica Albright shows that his maturity is not so developed. Suckerberg's failed partnership with the Winklevoss twins was entertaining mostly because, quite frankly, the skills of the actors portraying the twins were lacking. The legal cases between Suckerberg, the Winklevoss twins and Edwardo gave the movie substance and I doubt the movie would have been as successful if the cases had not occurred. Justin Timberlake's character Sean Parker gave the film a healthy dose of scandal with the illegal drug use and Victoria Secret model.

There is no question as to why the real Mark Suckerberg would appose to the showing of this film. My overall impression of the character Mark Suckerberg in the movie is that he is an undoubtedly intelligent and gifted man who has yet to master,  ironically enough, the social aspects of life.

Computers, Espionage and Sabotage

Chapter 7 of Giles Slade's book Made to Break, was a condensed version of Computers by Eric Swedin and David Ferro. It presented the development of newer technological advancements that replaced older ones. The general theme of copying inventions and competing between innovators was discussed by Slade. The ongoing theme of obsolescense, of course, carries through the chapter as tangible learning toys and pinball machines become obsolete and replaced by computer games and programs. The virtual reality that Nolan Bushnell mentions in the end of the chapter is thought of brightly by the progressive thinking of Eric Swedin and David Ferro who would also agree that  "We are going to have to live and be comfortable and maneuver in a computer environment" (pg 224).

The waste that accumulates through the repetitive introduction and obsolescence of computer devices, essentially named e-waste, is discussed in chapter 9. The poisoning of groundwater through PBT'sand disposal of hazardous wastes prove to be a more dangerous than the wastage of time and energy. "EPA tracked hazardous waste from electronic products... to have a substantial increase over the 1.8 million tons of e-waste produced in 1999."(pg 262). The contributing factors of this increasing amount of e-waste is the previously mentioned cycle of conspicuous consumption and planed obsolescence (pg 254).Slade believes that the dangers of toxic waste will eventually result in the adoption of "design strategies that include not just planned obsolescence but planned disassembly and reuse as part of the product life cycle" (pg 281). In this way, the idea of technophiles as mentioned by Niel Postman in Technopoly is supported by Slade because he is ultimately saying that Americans will never end the obsolescence of electronic devices because, as Postman says, Americans are"lost by our immersion in a computer culture"(Postman 122).

The "Weaponizing Planned Obsolescence" towards the USSR was an interesting part of the end of this book. Espionage in general is an exciting topic and the fact that the USSR moles were sent to the US is a testament to the quality of advancements made by the US. Obsolescence of older computer technology in this case is not a negative thing when taking into consideration that it is being replaced by a more advanced technology. Gus Weiss's idea expressed by his quote:"We could take it a step further. We could shake their morale completely by making some of the stolen items malfunction in spectacular ways."( pg 254) was ingenious and effective.  With so much copying and competing going on within the borders of the US, it is no surprise that foreign countries like USSR tried to do the same.

And so, the reading of Made to Break by Giles Slade is finished and I am more aware of obsolescence in America. Like the way Neil Postman explains what we must do about the awareness of technopoly in America, I will acknowledge Obsoescence in America and not deny but consume in moderation and recycle when I can.

An anthropological introduction to YouTube