Prespectives on The Effect of Facebook

The social networking website known as Facebook.com which has been a revolutionary way on connecting people socially, has also changed people and the world around them with general media and buisness. 

Face book's effect on people has for a fact been great enough that the general nature of peoples social abilities have changed in accordance to the website. 

Face book's effect on peoples lives have highly effected not only the people using them, but then spread to almost all kinds of businesses, and allows for a whole new kind of way to market their buisness as well.




David Kirkpatrick, a veteran technology reporter, committed himself to do a full report on the social networking site that he simply calls, The FaceBook Effect.
In his report, Kirkpatrick discusses the pheromone from Facebook and how the worlds new way of communicating is effecting everything.  In his Interview in the movie presented, Kirkpatrick discusses his report along with Facebook and its purpose when he explains that, "Facebook is meant to be a place to communicate with people you already know in the real world". It is astonishing to realize the power of the website, when with one month release of the website Facebook had 10,000 users, by 4 months in service, Facebook had offerings of 10 million dollars for the site. 

One feature mentioned in the interview on Facebook that is significant is the news feed feature. Before the news feed feature, Kirkpatrick describe face book as a site which people would "cruise on to other friends pages to see there profile".  The news feed addition to the Facebook system added the feature so that when on your own profile you would get updates as to what you're friends actions on the site were, this was initially seen as a huge invasion of privacy.  The idea of people enjoying the sharing and information of other people is what was to argue but as David Kirkpatrick explained, "it came and spread so quickly that people just didn't seem to care, everyone was doing it".



In an article by Amy Gonzales from Cornell University, named Mirror, Mirror, on my Facebook Wall: Effects of Exposure to Facebook on Self-Esteem. In her article, Amy expresses her opinion on the site and is fascinated how it "allows users to selectively self-present themselves in asynchronous media, and how people can select information to post about themselves they would like to emphasize".  the general way that people try to represent themselves of Facebook is for a presentation of themselves for others. In her text, she compared the presentation of ones self in Facebook and the media, when she explained, "self-presentation in digital media, also influences the impression of the self". an overall second digital idea of the user.




As previously discussed by David Kirkpatrick, Facebook itself has even gotten larger than Google or any other corporate buisness website. Today's size and accessibility to universally all people as mentioned before, gives a great opportunity to market use commercial media to promote themselves.  In an article from TIME magazine, author
Dan Fletcher discussed his perspective on Facebook as a buisness tool for marketing targeting the users.  In his article he explained how it is not an organization of connection, it is a buisness, making more than any other website. 

 


            For the User, Facebook, "gets you to share and make preferences to make yourself public, allowing for more personal data for businesses advertising". Another Facebook feature like the news-feed, called the 'like-button" allows gives advertisers information on personal preference of the user. For example when Fletcher discussed in his article that, "having those Like buttons clicked 100 million times a day gives the company 100 million more data points to package and sell." allowing advertisers to target users on a whole new level. The advertising platform is more complex than many may imagine now, advertisers can now target the user based off of their friends preferences(Likes). 
As Dan Fletcher once again explained that with the Like button feature, "if three of your friends slick a like button for Domino's pizza, you might soon find an ad on your page that have you're friends name", a revolutionary kind of peer-pressure. 

 Facebook's strategy is not forced to the user, only presented on a golden plate for the user to admire. Face book has changed people with the "friends connections, the likes produced by the users, has made Facebook the ultimate enabler of information. 

Facebook's effect on people should not undermined the fact that social networking does have beneficial purposes as well. In his article Use Social Media, author Franklin Mcmahon expresses how "Social media networking expands your circle of contacts in ways never imagined, t can provide a constant source of new information, connections and new opportunities". Although Facebook is a buisness, for the User, Facebook is something of memory and friendship. Personally from experience, I have pictures of me and some of my friends I will never meet again that are on Facebook that I can have forever for remembrance. Social networking is a " Social
networking is a large, organic, constantly evolving party." one must recognize that although the user may have power to acess anyone, anyone can acess you as well. 

Therefore privacy is very important, However the effect that Facebook should be in the users awareness so that they can recognize the influences and exposure that comes from having an account. 
Social media users on Facebook expand their personal horizon, with tools on the website, "you can effectively be your own publisher, broadcaster, curator, consultant, troubleshooter and even a troublemaker."
Franklin Mcmahon suggest that it people should start to join the social media networking now to absorb the new culture, "or what will be second nature to the generation entering buisness now".
For future entrepreneurs , on Facebook you can use it to benefit your company by making a profile page for the buisness.  some companies even hire people to keep the page updated and fresh in information.
We as a people are beginning to more away from the industrial age to the information age. As a world with social networking like Facebook as the dominant power, that, government, media and corporate powers are all growing and expanding to everyone with the new accessibility of information. People are destined to change when the world around them changes, it must it in the conscious awareness of what is changing and how the new phenomenon of social networking is an influence. 


















Work Cited

David Kirkpatrick. "youtube.com."thefacebookeffect.com. David Kirkpatick. 7/2/10.4/26/11 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nDCVvCw7r0>.

Fletcher, Dan, and Andréa Ford. "Friends Without Borders. (Cover story)." Time 175.21 (2010): 32-38. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 27 Apr. 2011.

Gonzales, Amy L., and Jeffrey T. Hancock. "Mirror, Mirror on my Facebook Wall: Effects of Exposure to Facebook on Self-Esteem." CyberPsychology, Behavior & Social Networking 14.1/2 (2011): 79-83. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 26 Apr. 2011.


MCMAHON, FRANKLIN. "USE SOCIAL MEDIA." Sound & Video Contractor 28.3 (2010): 50-53. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 27 Apr. 2011.

Digg News Source

In research for the question of, how is face book affecting the people using, I used the news source, Digg.com to research some news and findings.

The Digg website is unique in the way that it has many different kinds of news such as buisness, entertainment, life style, politics, science, sports, technology and world news. 

the website is nice because of the way it presents its's news, it has no commentators or anchors or biased people announcing it. It is based off of popular and significant news, that is more presented based on views by the people on the site.  

The site breaks it down on the main site as, top overall news, then top news for all topics and then "hot" stories on Digg.com   

Large numbers of people view the Digg news stories, and one thing about the kind of media that it reports is that instead of a head anchor or writer bias, the overall opinion and meaning of the article presented  and be commented on by many different people. Along with comments that can be rated, to give the user and idea of whose comments sum up and give the best idea of the article.

For my research on face book, I simply searched "face book" in the search tool, and Digg gives me every article it's given on it, whether relevant to my research or not, it filters it out.

In my research I found many different commentaries and news sources on different effects that face book has on security, personalization and businesses. One nice piece of info that I learned about face book from a video lecture from author David Kirkpatrick is that it gives every user a 'broadcast platform" that being friends with someone subscribes information to a "significantly large number of friends" based on activity with one another.

Another interesting find that I found from research on Digg from a news article is about a man named Phil Wong, in which he emphasizes that "face book records every clock you make".  knowing this it turns out that face book knows you're information and friends just as well if not better than you know it you're self.

from an actual face book employee, he states himself that with recording personal information about how face book knows who you're friends are that "No, it’s more than just that. It’s also messages, file posts, photos you’re tagged in with them, as well as your viewing of their profile and all of that. Essentially, we judge how good of a friend they are to you.

Overall I will continue researching this kind of research and the kinds off effects that people have on face book, and facebook have on people.Digg.com is a good news and information source, but I will need to find more to conclude and have logical data.

Todays Culture and the Media

In the Article All News That Fits it discusses our overall economic framework today and how with growing social inequities, the American electorate remains overwhelmingly pro-Establishment- in favor of "keeping our social and economic frameworks essentially unchanged". Overall propaganda in our society in advertisements have also shifted to even our 'news' as well. As the article states that today, "Television news promotes the status quo by directing our attention toward a daily series of diverting but unrelated events, and away from deeper social problems that might lead up to challenge the current system. The common role of many news anchorman is to distract viewers from the disturbing parade of images that constitutes the news, and to assure that 'all is well'. with attractive women and flashy news reporters 'anchoring' the sway of the content in their show, it its those anchor men and women that become the show, not the news they are reporting.

 

People today need to realize the importance of the information that is being unrecognized, The viewers of many shows are denied information if it doesn't meet entertainment standards, there is no attention given to stories that are lacking strong visual appeal for the viewer.
The general goal of all TV with both news, others and commercials is to go after the human interest in the "story" or "advertisement"

Interestingly in the end of the first article it states that "our survival of a species may well depend on the nature of the information we get from our news media. of these, none is more important than television news, which reaches all social classes, all educational levels, and influences the thinking of more people than any other single social institution".     

The general commercial world has only grown throughout history and today our minds are constantly aware of the advertisements and the distractions they give us as viewers. "sometimes it seems as if the whole world is not just filled with advertising but dominated by it. Being dominated by money, advertisers are willing to pay a lot of money, for television remains the most important, the most dominant and influential product sold today.  Corporations wouldn't waste billions of dollars if their advertisements didn't work, and the truth is that when someone is actually shopping for products, the only given information they have about them is the one from an ad, so they go with what they are most informed about. 

An itresting fact is that "advertisments do not have to be literally true, "puffing" the product is perfectly legal. what is "puffing"? puffing is an exaggeration about the product that is so obvious just about anyone is cabable of recognizing the claim as an exaggeration.
The rule of advertising it that "nothing is what it seems, which brings up the rule of parity.
the rule states that when their are brands of the same kind of product that are practically the same, it can turn advertisements into being competitive with one another, any product can claim to have to "best" of the brands without any proof. the only proof is for if they claim to have a "better" kind. advertisers need other ways to make similar products seem unlike each other - even unique and special. An example of this is a weasel word, for medicine such as acne or cold medicine, such as "help", it is a claim that doesn't need to be proven at all, it doesn't say cure, or fix, only that it will "help", with not guarantee such as "help stop, help overcome, help you look etc..".  

something that people need to regain is a sense to develop and use critical thinking, reading, listening and looking ability, something that TV in general has taken away from the common person.

About Net Neutrality

What does it mean and what is the importance of net neutrality?

 To begin..

How would you feel if major phone and cable companies controlled and limited what we can and cannot use on the internet, as well as charge for certain services. This is the broad idea of the threat that could put free internet if net neutrality is destroyed. 

So what is net neutrality?

The idea of internet neutrality is for all those participating in the use of it to have equal and free use without any government or corporate restriction or advantage. Net neutrality has not been a issue due to the growth of the internet being not that far away  in history, but more in recent years as broadband providers have become larger and more powerful. There is a hierarchy of power in the world today with those who have money and involved with media,politics,culture and government, when these companies gain the ability to censor and control with charges and connection, net neutrality exists no more.

One question surrounding net neutraility is the reason why it would be closed at all.

The supposed reason for those in control of broadband to cut off net neutrality would be for the profit and control for the content for the internet user. 

 

An important question that is at issue with the discussion net neutrality that is a confusion to many is the role of government vs. phone and cable companies in the controversy.

The distortion by some news media today is that the it is the GOVERNMENT who wants to control and take away the freedom of net neutrality. People need to understand that it was what we already have that needs to be protected, that any kind of change of freedom would change net neutrality. Here is an example of Fox News,Glenn Beck distorting net neutrality to be in no kind of threat at all, he also criticizes Free Press to be Marxist and that they are the ones that really want to change internet freedom. he also says that there "is no problem if free speech is the goal". He fails to understand that we are not trying to change what freedom we have, but the freedom that is trying to be taking away.

Another great example of Fox News distorting the idea of net neutrality is with Glenn Beck again, along with Bill O'Reilly. Here they  take the whole idea of it and instead but the blame on the government(the left), and turn it into a political issue involving politics and the white house. What they distort is that it is not the government at all that would be managing these broadband gate way's, but the major cable providing companies.

It is pretty clear who is for net neutrality and who is against it. Those for net neutrality are those in control of the Broadband connections, the major phone and cable companies want it gone so that they can turn it into a monopoly for themselves to gain profit from.

Those that are for the internet are, at least should be, every common person using the internet for buisness, social, entertaining purpose for free speech and action on the Internet. The buisness market, and all kind of music, social and news related content would all be compromised. 

Personally in my opinion this is all to much of a coincidence. As I said before, there is a distortion between the government and Cable companies desires for net neutrality, and it is the cable companies that would be taking away internet freedom.

The issue I see here in general is that the these kind of cable and content providers are some of the largest powers in the country, and them along with all the others, are only getting smaller in number, and bigger in power. Only now The government, media and major corporations are all mutually coming together for a kind of partnership that I see revolving around money and overall control on the peoples content and freedom.

Net neutrality must be saved and maintained by the American public, for it is their right, our right.

Behind TV Analysts, Pentagon’s Hidden Hand

    The article presented brings up issues such as Guantanamo Bay and well as September 11th 2001, and the significance of having the news about them being covered by "military analysts". The important thing to be aware of is the influence these analysts have, as the article states about them, "whose long service has equipped them to give authoritative and unfettered judgments".  The New York Times reports how these kinds of new reporters favor and are biased towards the government administration agenda. Throughout the article are examples and text about the buisness or news, and how good news is bad buisness and poor news is good buisness, and how this ties into the government and military on the news as well.

    In the 21st century to today, it has been brought up through the fog, what the news media is really made of. the question that the article presented is related to is the overall manipulation, control and power there is in the news buisness. When there is a firm and secretive  relationship between media and government. The fewer big news businesses and corporations will only make the ones that remain with more will to broadcast and express what they please. a video that relates to the concern highly is presented by the TV station, Real TV.

Information in today's society in general is so complicated it is becoming more and more complex as people advance in time. with the recent technological advances such as the Internets face book, twitter,you tube and other social networking sites, information is presented from multiple location, from just one source(internet). An example from today would be a news article related to the conflict in Libya and the controversy on the US taking action to "help the situation". http://www.infowars.com/chavez-u-s-distorting-situation-in-libya-to-justify-an-invasion/. The news article is an example the complex confusion from information today, and it all revolves around opinion and judgment. The article exploits two things, a man from Libya warning how the US is manipulating people to accept an invasion on the country, were at the end the author quotes Hilary Clinton expressing that, “nothing is off the table so long as the Libyan government continues to threaten and kill Libyan citizens.”

 People need to be aware that media is the biggest tool for control, censorship and manipulation of the information on TV and the Internet, and when a government has that power, they have that power at their disposal.
 A video example exemplifies the confusion and complication with what news is and what the role of journalism plays into it.  In the "news clip" of FOX, it does not report and important information, rather it is a clip of Bill' o Reilly and Bernie Goldberg arguing on a segment of people protesting about FOX news and how it "lies".

The problem with FOX news's segment is that it does not inform the public of any sort of information or concern, rather just defends itself against protesters who are claiming FOX news isn't actual truthful journalism.
what does these kind of news clips do? nothing important or informative to the American people, just present an issue that never gets resolved in the video that only creates criticism about news channels, not actual news.

However getting back to the issue of military analysts, the problem is that news channels will expose almost anything lower then them with power, but when it comes to hiring of military analyst and their procedures on shows, they cannot expose themselves.when those with highly respected labels with "military" in them, they are to have a much stronger influence on the subject they argue on.

A quote from the article,

"NBC News also declined to discuss its procedures for hiring and monitoring military analyst . The network issued a short statement: “We have clear policies in place to assure that the people who appear on our air have been appropriately vetted and that nothing in their profile would lead to even a perception of a conflict of interest."

- the problem is that "perception of a conflict of interest" is the government and news corporations interests, not the public.