In the last selection of “The Facebook Effect”, Kirkpatrick still manages to keep readers enticed. As we have seen in previous chapters, Facebook’s new ideas and tools lead it to keep getting better and in return, more successful. The introduction of photos and social events, even in its beginning stages, was an addition to Facebook that further separated it from the other websites. The new features enabled the website to create a “social graph”, a term Zuckerberg coined himself meaning that the core value of Facebook is in the friend connections (217). Whatever you did lately, if you posted it on the website, Facebook told your friends. Everyone was able to know if you went on vacation, broke up with a significant other, had too much to drink last night, etc. Now, Facebook’s features are used document our events, plan our events, and let everyone know how successful it was. There was very little that Facebook couldn’t do (technology/internet-wise).
We are seeing companies and organizations create their own Facebook pages more and more to help promote and advertise their products, improve business, or just spread the word about a cause (263). Although this allows for open and honest discussion, as the company has little control over what users could say, many companies utilized the feedback from this new tool to the fullest. An example of this was recently seen when Gap changed its logo. The Gap clothing company decided to change its logo and revealed the new design on Facebook. Within minutes, the site got multiple responses from users and customers criticizing the logo and explaining how they wanted it changed back. Needless to say, the logo lasted for a few days due to the immediate and chaotic feedback from Facebook users.
Relating to this issue, Zuckerberg believes that Facebook can help create transparency (287). Because it allows for more openness and lets everyone express feeling very quickly, he thinks that this makes organizations and companies more trustworthy. This is something that I slightly disagree with, business-wise. I think it is important to take into consideration that companies are essentially interested in profit and promoting good will for the companies. Therefore they may only put positive things up on the internet about them and censor what others post. On a social level, I think Facebook opens new doors to compliment others and be ourselves “in front of them”. Although we can always do this in person, the electronic neighborhood gives us more access to individuals and opportunities to build upon relationships (288).
But what is the future of Facebook? Facebook is increasingly getting more popular each day. Kirkpatrick mentions Facebook’s ability to collect data from its users many times, and while this has its benefits such as personalized ads and suggestions and even potentially profit for the company through personalize advertisements, it is a very scary thought (267). Facebook has previously experienced problems with some applications stealing information from its users, and it still seems to be a concern now. Recently, popular applications such as Farmville, Mafia Wars, and Café World have been accused of leaking information to other sources. Are we oblivious to the repercussions using a simple website would have? Is our information eventually going to be sold? And although there are currently no plans to deploy Connect, if Zuckerberg ever decides to implement it, it will allow Facebook to gain even more information about users and not just what they put on Facebook (307). Is this a breach of privacy? Are there other things we aren’t considering when using the popular website?
Although I believe that there are concerns regarding Facebook, the website is doing much more good than harm for our society. Facebook is not only creating rapid and more efficient communication in a world in which increasing and overwhelming amounts of information is surrounding society without choice, but it is connecting and uniting the world (330). It helped create intimacy when the internet was taking that away from us so very quickly. It is a tool that helps empowers us, as we control and build our own identity, social web, and memories.
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