Shut up your Facebook
By Anthony Marcusa
Issue date: 10/19/06 Section: Opinions
Deep down, nearly every university student in one way or another is obsessed with Facebook. And while it hasn't caught on as rapidly in Canada as it did in the States, the online network of sick self-importance is a well oiled machine that knows exactly how to feed our most important desires. It doesn't only appeal to people because of the prevailing voyeuristic tendencies hidden in everyone. Instead, its popularity lies in the fact that we all want to be famous and desired; and failing that, interesting.
Mark Zuckerberg, the developer of Facebook, has been perfect in satisfying the needs of self-absorbed students. Its power and purview is supported by the continuous bids of major companies to buy out the young creator. The latest offer was almost $1 billion, proposed by Yahoo.
Yet Zuckerberg once again turned down the offer as Facebook continues to grow. In recent months, two new innovations have been added against sudden, overwhelming, and unfortunately fake outrage. The protest, fueled by the lack of privacy the innovations caused, was momentary, and like almost every other action on Facebook, merely for show.
Through Facebook, users give the term 'friends' the loosest interpretation possible in order to continually increase one's social network. And in this way, Facebook isn't a means to show off to other people, but to boost confidence and gratify the shallow needs of the self-centred generation.
The first addition to Facebook is the news feed, which basically identifies and records every action a user makes and presents it to all their friends. Once initiated, the news feed generated petitions which circled quickly as protests reached a hectic pace. After a few weeks, not surprisingly, the objections diminished and complacency rose again as the feigned outrage was overcome by secret jubilation. -It's not that others care what we are doing; it's that we want to believe that they do. Facebook gives us all an audience on which we can broadcast our actions and feelings without a chance to be turned down. It is a vast, open community, and the more people we know, the more chance someone will become interested in us. Facebook is merely a tool for those who unhealthily rely on gross amounts of attention and reassurance.
Mark Zuckerberg, the developer of Facebook, has been perfect in satisfying the needs of self-absorbed students. Its power and purview is supported by the continuous bids of major companies to buy out the young creator. The latest offer was almost $1 billion, proposed by Yahoo.
Yet Zuckerberg once again turned down the offer as Facebook continues to grow. In recent months, two new innovations have been added against sudden, overwhelming, and unfortunately fake outrage. The protest, fueled by the lack of privacy the innovations caused, was momentary, and like almost every other action on Facebook, merely for show.
Through Facebook, users give the term 'friends' the loosest interpretation possible in order to continually increase one's social network. And in this way, Facebook isn't a means to show off to other people, but to boost confidence and gratify the shallow needs of the self-centred generation.
The first addition to Facebook is the news feed, which basically identifies and records every action a user makes and presents it to all their friends. Once initiated, the news feed generated petitions which circled quickly as protests reached a hectic pace. After a few weeks, not surprisingly, the objections diminished and complacency rose again as the feigned outrage was overcome by secret jubilation. -It's not that others care what we are doing; it's that we want to believe that they do. Facebook gives us all an audience on which we can broadcast our actions and feelings without a chance to be turned down. It is a vast, open community, and the more people we know, the more chance someone will become interested in us. Facebook is merely a tool for those who unhealthily rely on gross amounts of attention and reassurance.
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