This is an article I wrote for my journalism class about the growth of Facebook. I have also used Facebook to my advantage and I expect most of the people who read this post saw it on my profile.
When Mark Zuckerberg created his social networking website in his Harvard University dorm room, nobody had any idea that Facebook would become a life changing social movement in the coming years. First limited to Harvard students, then Boston area colleges, the other Ivy League schools, then Stanford University, Facebook is now available to anyone at least 13 years of age with a working email account. With over 400 million users around the globe, the Facebook phenomenon is one of the most staggering movements in the history of civilization, but how big will it get? And when will it end?
Every time a major event occurs, people’s Facebook statuses spread the word. Facebook has revolutionized the concept of social networking, for better or for worse. In addition to connecting with “friends”, people can connect with bands, athletes, politicians, statements, and other public figures that they “like”. Some celebrities update their own public profiles to connect with their supporters. One good example is President Obama. With over 8 million people publicly supporting, this page provides updates on the president’s plans and agenda to keep people in touch with their government. Although the page is not run by Obama himself, it is run by people who work directly with him.
Before Facebook, people behaved differently. The way people interact on Facebook has perhaps subconsciously had an effect on the way people interact face to face. “Since I joined Facebook, I have felt the need to tell people what my plans are as I get up and walk away. I might only be gone for a few minutes, but I feel like I have to post a status so people do not get worried.” Said high school senior Andrea Bray. With all it does, Facebook impacts more than just the way people act online.
Facebook has had an impact on other modes of mass communication. In February, Facebook users launched a campaign to get Betty White to host an episode of Saturday Night Live, which the 88 year old Golden Girls star had never done in her long career. White’s SNL appearance was a hit, and since then, there has been a new campaign to get Carol Burnett to host the show next season. Another was launched to get Mary Tyler Moore on the show.
A recent change to Facebook was to change the act of “becoming a fan” of a public profile to “liking” it. There was already a “Like” button so people could express their appreciation for someone else’s status without writing out a comment. Now in addition to liking Facebook pages, outside websites have enabled the ability to like articles, links, and videos from all over the internet. By liking it, that web page becomes linked to your personal profile. It appears that Facebook is attempting to become the central site on the internet—the place one goes to navigate through everything else that is going on.
Facebook really has come a long way since the days of a college student trying to connect with his classmates. With the millions and millions of users, confusing and changing privacy settings, and the ability to link almost any web page to a person’s private profile, Facebook is trying to join the hierarchy of powerful and innovative technology companies like General Electric, IBM, Texas Instruments, Microsoft, Apple, and, most recently, Google.
In spite of its continued growth, many people are starting to grow tired of Facebook. Every few months, when Facebook changes the layout of the “news feed”, there is public outcry to change it back, yet most people refuse to deactivate their accounts is they are unhappy with the site. A lot of young people feel that the thrill of social networking is gone once their parents joined Facebook. The applications and the time wasting that Facebook creates are starting to get old for many. “I am just about done with it. If it wasn’t such an easy way to keep in touch with people, I would quit.” said FSC senior Sarah Hovagimian. That is a sentiment shared by a lot of people these days. Facebook will continue to change, and the changes will continue to frustrate the people who think they had it figured out, but they will stay with it until a better product is made available.
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