Facebook: Genius, Traitor, Billionaire

Facebook: Genius, Traitor, Billionaire
BA1002        Kendall Munro         Monday 3pm

“To exist is to be perceived” (Chatwin, 1987), my interpretation of this quote is that we exist through the perception of others. As Van Luyn (2013) explained in week 2’s lecture, how we intend to be perceived may not actually be how those around us interpret our actions. As a result, we now exist through that individual’s perception of us. This can be problematic in the world of social networking because when we share our thoughts, we are not with those who are reading them, they cannot hear our tone of voice nor see our physical expressions as we’re saying things. Because we are not physically present with those who are reading us, they have complete power over how they choose the represent us.

The movie ‘the Social Network’ is based on the creation of my chosen network ‘Facebook’ and its founder Mark Zuckerberg. This movie portrayed Zuckerberg as intelligent, rude and self involved, deceitful and cocky, it made the creation of Facebook seem as though it was built on dishonesty and nastiness and as a result effecting people’s perception of the site. “Warm conversation between friends can make the place itself seem warm; by contrast, malicious speech has the power to destroy a place’s reputation” (Tuan, 1991). Before ‘the Social Network’, Facebook was a positive place that people could connect and interact with friends and people of similar interests. But after the law suits and controversy surrounding Mark Zuckerberg and the making of Facebook were brought to light, people began to observe Facebook from an opposite viewpoint, such as the coastline Van Luyn (2013) described in this week’s lecture.

Although the law suit has passed, and Facebook has developed into the largest social networking site in the world, the knowledge of its background still gives a taste of bitterness. As a result of the law suit, Facebook was ordered to restore Eduardo Saverin as co-founder on the home page, you can read more about this on http://wallstcheatsheet.com/breaking-news/the-truth-behind-facebooks-founding-is-finally-revealed.html/. With Saverin’s name on the home page, it is a constant reminder of the sour beginning to Facebook. This gives Saverin some form of power over people’s perception of Facebook and Zuckerberg, because although Zuckerberg denies how he was portrayed through the media and ‘the Social Network’, the presence of Saverin’s name persuades people to question Facebook’s background.

You can read more about Mark Zuckerberg’s response to ‘the Social Network’ here:
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/oct/20/mark-zuckerberg-the-social-network

References:

Chatwin, B. (1987). The Songlines. Jonathan Cape Ltd
Tuan, Y. (1991). Annals of the Association of American Georgraphers. Taylor & Francis, LTD
Van Luyn, A. (2013). BA1002: Our Space: Networks, Narrratives and The Making Of Place, Lecture 4: Narrative. [Notes] Retrieved from: http://learnjcu.edu.au
Van Luyn, A. (2013). BA1002: Our Space: Networks, Narrratives and The Making Of Place, Lecture 5: Stories and Places. [Notes] Retrieved from: http://learnjcu.edu.au

Image Credit:

http://collider.com/the-social-network-movie-review-david-fincher-jesse-eisenberg/