Facebook Case

Facebook

What is Facebook? While pondering this question I never really thought of Facebook as anything but a website. While researching I discovered that Facebook is just another means of social networking. This led me to an even better question, What is social networking? According to dictionary.com social networking is," an online community of people who use a website or other technologies to communicate with each other and share information, resources, etc." After finding this out, I realized that my entire life revolves around the idea of social networking. Since the invention of Facebook the idea of social networking has severely impacted our generation by means of addiction and also on a global scale.

A wise man once said, "By giving people the power to share, we're making the

World more transparent." This wise man is Mark Zuckerberg, the inventor and CEO of Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg was an undergraduate student at Harvard University in the fall of 2002. By his sophomore year, he became the go to guy about creating software. His first website he made was coursematch.com, helping students select there courses. His second website was facemash.com, which was a website for people to choose which girl was prettier. Both of these websites were later shut down by the administration. After the creation of two very successful websites, three of his fellow classmates confronted him wanting to start there own website known as Harvard Connection which would be designed to be a dating websites for Harvard's elite. After agreeing to help them out, he decided to drop helping them and create his own networking site with his friends. The site they created would allow members to communicate, upload photographs, and create their own profiles. In February of 2004, "The Facebook" was launched from Mark Zuckerberg dorm room. This was only the star to this amazing social networking site. Since then Facebook has experienced much change and has evolved to what it is today.

Originally, Facebook was only for Harvard students, you needed a Harvard email Address to even gain access to make your own profile. It then, in March expanded to three more Ivy League schools including, Stanford, Columbia and Yale. It wasn't until September of 2004 that the wall; where people write messages on each other's profile to create conversation was added, and also the idea of Facebook groups were added. Within the first year the photo application was added, The Facebook became Facebook. It added high school networks and international networks, and by December 2005 Facebook had 5.5 million members. After the first year, Mark and his team continuously changed Facebook, some members view it as frustrating that new things are added and they lay out changes, but marks intentions were only to make it better and safer to network with one other. Never once did he think that Facebook would become one of the number one ways to social network, but also one of the most addicting things for teenagers. Now, Not even 10 years later, Facebook has 800 million members. These numbers prove one thing; Facebook has become a worldwide and nation wide addiction. (Carlson)

Addiction- compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance characterized by tolerance and by well defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal. Back in the 1960's people thought addiction could only be about drugs, not anymore. The world of technology has brought in a whole new idea of addiction. According to a research project done by Oxygen Media and Lightspeed Research, they found that one third of women ages 18-34 check Facebook first thing in the morning before even getting out of bed. (Webley) From Personal experience and after doing some research, I am one of the millions of people that are addicted to Facebook. Do I think it is pathetic that when I need to go on the computer just to check things such as the weather that I need to check facebook first? Yes, but according to Doctor Young, "it's like any other addiction, " It's hard to wean yourself." (Webley) It is always reassuring to know that you aren't the only one through. Last week in class, when surveyed who goes on Facebook more then once a day more then half the class raised their hand. What I even think is even more pathetic is that Facebook terms such as facebook chat, message, photo tags, becoming friends, has become a verb; " Oh my gosh did you see the pictures she was tagged in?, " That really cute boy in our class messaged me", " Such a creep, the guy that answered the math question today found me on Facebook and friended me, ugh, decline." When you