The Facebook Effect: 2

In the second section of The Facebook Effect, it discusses the development of the company from an overnight success to a real and thriving company. At first it talked about how investors wanted a piece of the hit company, and how Mark Zuckerberg and Sean Parker weeded through all the possibilities to find the best fit for it. I found it interesting that even with huge figures being thrown at him, Zuckerberg still held his ground and did not settle until he found the offer he liked best. This showed how much he believed in his company and that nothing would prevent him from taking it as far as he could. He had even been asked to sell it numerous times, but each time refused because he does not think anyone else would be able to run it through his vision and he feels it is worth more than the offers given. When asked “What kind of number might make you interested anyway?” Zuckerberg replied, “I think it’s worth at least $2 billion.” (Kirkpatrick, p.161)

            This week’s reading has gotten me thinking back to when I first joined Facebook in 2006. I had just graduated high school and joining Facebook was the thing to do. After reading about when Zuckerberg installed the photos application, it made me wonder what the site was like before that. To me the site would not have the same value it does without having pictures. I had been a user when it had the application so I must take it for granted, but to be able to look at people’s pictures is what makes the site so enticing. Pictures are small windows into people’s lives, so to be able to scope out what people do and where they go is not only informant, but it is also a form of socializing in this modern era. I guess that also says something about our era and how voyeuristic we have become.

Solo Current Event Presentation

For my solo current event, I went to MSNBC.com and found an article entitled “Sex, drugs more common in hyper-texting teens,” written by Mike Stobbe. The article was about how in a recent study, there has been a correlation that teens who text a lot are more likely to use drugs and have sex. When I presented this to the class we got a pretty good discussion going. I had asked them why they thought there is this correlation and if it is due to bad parenting or if it is just a generational thing. Many considered it to be generational because teens today are constantly connected to people, whether by phone or online, thus making it easier to get in touch with people who are bad influences. For the people who thought it was due to bad parenting, they brought up the dilemma of whether they have the right to go through their child’s phone. Some students felt it would be an invasion of privacy and decrease their trust in their parents, while others felt that if parents are paying for their kid to use the phone then they have the right to look through it if they wish. I would have to say both points are valid in their own way.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40087630/ns/health-kids_and_parenting

Group Project

Through observation of my group, as well as the rest of the class, I have come to the conclusion that Wikipedia is not a valid scholarly source. It does have some strengths and weaknesses such as it is a good source for a quick overview of a subject. However, its weaknesses outweigh it’s strengths in the fact that the sources are faulty or non-existent in some cases. In most cases the sources are not from reputable places, like blogs. I think these strengths and weaknesses are an indicator of how imperfect technology still is. It is evident that people rely heavily on the internet, and in doing so, come to believe a lot of things they see on it. This could potentially affect American culture in the fact that careless mistakes will be made due to such naiveté as trusting everything online. Also people’s reliance on technology will ultimately be their downfall. Technology is the best and worst thing to happen to our culture. It makes things easier, efficient, and in some cases unbelievable, but to trust in something that at times can be so untrustworthy is where we fault. What I will take away from this project is the reinforcement of that fact, as well as being on the defense with research in the future.

The Facebook Effect: 1

In the first section of The Facebook Effect by David Kirkpatrick, it explains how the insanely popular website was born. The website was made by a young college undergrad, Mark Zuckerberg, at Harvard University. Going into it, Zuckerberg never expected Facebook to turn out as great as it did. He developed the site more as just a fun little escape for him and his schoolmates. By making the site exclusive to people with Harvard email addresses, limited what the website would eventually turn into. Zuckerberg wanted bigger and better things for Facebook, but all the while none of it was about money. What I found to be somewhat endearing was the fact that Mark Zuckerberg really and truly cared about this site and wanted some good to come out of it. “This wasn’t like a get-rich-quick scheme. This was ‘Let’s build something that has lasting cultural value and try to take over the world.’”(p.47)

For the longest time Zuckerberg avoided any sort of revenue, but eventually when the bills were getting too high, he caved and used ads on the site. The fact that he never took for granted the billion-dollar website, is a true testament of his character. It seems a little ironic that someone so modest and geeky would develop a site aimed towards vanity driven youth, who’s social conscience is derived from superficiality. Granted he may have been one of those “youths,” when he developed it, but there is something to be said about how levelheaded this young billionaire is. To come from a status driven institute like Harvard, where everyone is pretty much exceptional in their studies, standing out in the pack is a hard feat. Mark Zuckerberg has done this by leaps and bounds in a progressive and unifying way.

Made to Break: Part Three

In the concluding section of Made to Break, by Giles Slade, the competition of actual microchips, obsolescent weapons, and e-waste were discussed. In the “Chips” chapter, Slade discusses the miniaturization of technology and how since the 1960’s, technology is getting smaller and faster. This included something as simple as the slide rule which evolved to the modern day calculator. With the development of the calculator, complex calculations were being solved more efficiently and easier than ever before. However, engineers who grew up using slide rules found it hard to part ways with the outdated technology and were being left in the dust by younger workers who were using calculators. “Age, not wealth, determined which engineers had the advantage.” (p.203) This seems to parallel our job markets today because if you are not up on the most recent technologies in just about any line of work, you are seen as less knowledgeable. It is to anyone’s advantage in their career to be informed on what is new and upcoming because it sets you apart.

            The “E-waste” chapter discussed the growing amount of cell phone and other technological waste that has encroached our country. Slade explained that cell phones are the most discarded technology our country has. There are dangers to disposing technology because of the “permanent biological toxins (PBTs),” which are hazardous to our health. Reading about this freaked me out because it made me wonder what we are going to do with all the discarded products that people throw away daily. Are they going to come up with an eco-friendly phone? I do not really see how that would be possible. I am proud to say that I am not an e-waster. I am not very current with a lot of technology. My current phone is only about a year old, but in my life (23 years) I have only owned four phones. I know people who have had triple that amount. Also my lap top is about five or six years old. I know my efforts are miniscule in hindsight, but if I am one less person adding to the e-waste, so be it. The only thing I wonder is what the solution is, like will there ever be an eco-friendly phone? I might have to invent one if there is not one already!