"The Social Network" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1285016/) and it's implications....
I watched this movie last night with a good friend and was left with this terrible feeling in the end... Then when I went to IMDb, I noticed that it said "You don't get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies." I think Zuckerberg missed the point. He seems like a brilliant guy that had the potential to do something really innovative and cool, which he did, but he also sold out the only friend that he had and screwed several other people over in the process. I realize that one doesn't get where they are going unless they make some sacrifices and one must always play his cards correctly, but I am a firm believer that life doesn't have to be a zero-sum game. Zuckerberg's story could have been much different if he had been more considerate of his friend, Eduardo.
Zuckerberg made a revolutionary social network wherein individuals can maintain contact with old friends, hook up with new friends and meet the cute guy that you met at the party, but in the process of making it "easier" for us to keep in contact with friends and make new friends, he sabotaged good relationships in exchange for a partnership with the "Napster." If the "Napster" was portrayed correctly, he is a selfish cad that is void of morals. Why does fame and fortune have to be a detriment?
Why can't it empower individuals to bless the lives of others and instigate meaningful change in the world? I guess in a way it did, because Egyptian youth have used Facebook as a means of instigating social change and spurring the White Revolution. We need brilliant individuals to engage societal values, religion, development, poverty, and conflict in order to change the trajectory of our global communities and alleviate some of the maladies that do not have to darken our doors. I guess that's part of the reason why I revere TWITTER and WIKILEAKS so much. They have made information more readily available to people throughout the world, which has enabled citizens to hold their governments accountable. These sites have also given them a voice to shake the shackles from their hands and feet and demand freedom, development, and change. I guess Zuckerberg has made a valuable contribution to the world, but I wish his invention didn't consume him. From the title of the movie, it is clear that he didn't learn his lesson.
No comments:
Post a Comment