History of Facebook

Facebook, also known as thefacebook, is a social networking website, the second largest social network on the web. It was created by Mark Zuckerberg and fellow Harvard students Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes. It started off as a hobby for Mark with some financial help from friend Eduardo Saverin, it didn’t take long before the idea of facebook spread through the halls of Harvard. Making way to other major schools where it became widely endorsed. Before long Facebook was known as a network phenomenon, Zuckerberg dropped out of Harvard and ran the website full time. No longer known as thefacebook, the domain name facebook.com was now the home of Facebook, which was purchased for 200,000. (Sid Yadav)

Who created it?

Created by former Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg, now a young American billionaire. He is one of the co-founders for the popular networking site that we all know as Facebook. Mark is the CEO (Gillian Reagan, 2009-03-10) and president of facebook, and his new found prosperity is a subject for controversy when it comes to his business (news.com article 02138) and wealth (Thomas Owen, 2008-12-15). Facebook was launched on February 4th, 2004 out of Zuckerberg’s dorm in Harvard. The idea came from his earlier days attending Phillips Exeter Academy which had a tradition of annual student directory, soon after Facebook was formed. At first he built the program to help his father’s employees communicate; he designed a game called risk and a music player called synapse, which later on Microsoft and AOL tried to buy from him and offered him a job, but Zuckerberg denied the offer and attended Harvard instead.

Myspace VS. Facebook

Most people who use online networking have both Facebook and Myspace accounts, but users sometimes prefer one over the other. Considering their differences there’s a reason why one is used more than the other. At first, Myspace was more frequently used by teenagers, where as Facebook could only be used by college students who have a college email. But as time went on Facebook was more open to other users, and now teenagers also have a Facebook, as well as college students using Myspace. The real difference here is professionals using Facebook for networking and job hunting, no doubt there are professionals who use myspace, but it’s more for local musicians and comedians trying to get themselves noticed. So facebook is used more for communicating with students and professionals, and myspace is used more for creativity and socializing. (Kathryn Vercelli, 'Myspace VS. Facebook')

Communication

Like Myspace and other websites that are used for communicating and networking, which provides faceless communication. Communicating online means that people can be easily misunderstood because it doesn’t involve speaking or showing emotion through actions, often the people we are talking to misinterpret our true meaning of what’s being told with the lack of body language and mannerisms. Not even the little smiley faces can complement our interactions like a raised eyebrow could or a shrug of the shoulder. So we need to be aware that online communicating can be neglectful to our ‘social graces’ (Richard Perkins, 2007-07-31, Faceless Communication). Throughout all the social interactions we need to learn to respect one another, and understand that it’s just harder to express ourselves online.

Addictive nature

Many would say Facebook is addicting, take Laura Levin for instance who broke up with her boyfriend because he was tracking her every move on Facebook. One of the reasons facebook is so often used is the convenience, people can find out so much about another person before you even date them. So the ways men and women interact has been revolutionized by social networking. Facebook is a global phenomenon, four in ten adults say they visit these sites on a daily basis using them to build friendships. Research has found that users spend an average of 5.3 hours a month on these sites and visit them at least 23 times a day. These are just averages but it goes to show you the addicts who are merging forward (Tom Rawstorne, 2008-02-05, Are you on Facebook? and is it runing your life?).

Exploiting

Facebook shows the great dangers that a networking site can provide through exploiting. So who would think that anyone needs to worry about facebook during a tragic event? Apparently tragedy and facebook go hand and hand (Alyssa D' Anna 2007-04-19). And it seems Facebook is being used as a tool to exploit and satisfy curiosity during events such as the Virginia Tech shooting, people join groups just to use people as a source of information. These online sites make us seem more like the paparazzi, granting us permission to look up anything we want to know at any given time. And as anyone can see from the VT shooting, we now have access to everyone’s privacy and emotions as soon as you sign into your facebook page.

Reference List

1. Mashable contributor Sid Yadav and edited by Pete Cashmore.

2. Gillian Reagan (2009-03-10) ‘Thumbs up! There’s a lot to like about ‘Like’

3. news.com article about 02138

4. Thomas Owen (2008-12-15) “Facebook’s new value: 1.3 Billion?”

5. Kathryn Vercelli ‘Myspace VS. Facebook’

6. Richard Perkins (2007-07-31) Faceless Communication

7. Tom Rawstorne (2008-02-05) Are you on face book? And is it ruining your life?

8. Alyssa D’ Anna (2007-04-19) Tragic events turn facebook into a tool for exploitation

Work Cited page

http://mashable.com/2006/08/25/facebook-profile/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Zuckerberg

http://hubpages.com/hub/MySpace-vs-Facebook

http://richardperkins.blogsome.com/2007/07/31/faceless-communication-the-facebook-phenemenon/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-512535/Are-Facebook-And-ruining-life.html

http://media.www.thelamron.com/media/storage/paper1150/news/2007/04/19/Opinion/Tragic.Events.Turn.Facebook.Into.A.Tool.For.Exploitation-2853236.shtml