Research Paper

Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook

Facebook is a huge part of a majority of the world. The person responsible for its success is Mark Zuckerberg. His product has had an impact on millions of people and it is used in everyday life. It's influence is so great that it plays a role in many events and daily happenstances everyday. Mark Zuckerberg’s work has greatly affected the way the society, the economy and the way the culture is today.

Zuckerberg's Facebook has helped the world in a social way. People are “friends” with people from other countries that they have never met before. Now users know what other people are feeling, thinking and doing without being there or knowing them. Some people think that this is unnecessary or useless information, but Zuckerberg feels that it actually helps the society become closer and more personal. According to him, “'Facebook was not originally created to be a company. It was built to accomplish a social mission – to make the world more open and connected'”(Eckstein). Facebook has made our society better because this type of technology has, “'...gave more people a voice...encouraged progress...changed the way society was organized...brought us closer together”(Eckstein). One article has an explanation for the need for people to be more socially connected, “Facebook users share for a reason. We want others to know what we're up to. We trade privacy for increased connectedness”(Vara). People now know things about other people that they would not necessarily share voluntarily. Facebook is just a tool for people to expose the smallest details of their lives. Facebook has helped people make friends, find information and people and learn new things.

Facebook also has a large impact on the economy around the world. Apart from making money itself, it helps users make money too. People use Facebook in many ways to help them find ways to make money, sell products, and buy products. It is like a huge advertising program; people find jobs they want, new products they have never heard about, telling people about products they have heard of. One article explains, “Eventually, the page will present specialized resources and content...Free job postings are also being considered. Facebook says it's examining ways to deliver these virally across its vast network...Facebook says it plans to issue a series of public service announcements to promote the new page in the 10 states with the highest unemployment rates, including Puero Rico, which faces a 16 percent jobless rate”(Locke). The companies new ideas and aspects on Facebook help people all over the world. “...developers that create apps on top of the Facebook platform have spawned 235,644 jobs and contributed $15.7 billion to the U.S. economy”(Locke). By creating those jobs, Facebook has allowed people to earn money and then put money back into the economy. So it just helps make the economy bigger and allows more people to participate and consume. These were the predictions for Facebook's value last year, “Facebook is widely expected to file next year for an IPO, which some reports say could be based on a valuation of $100 billion. Some former employees have already cashed in their shares on secondary markets. Global revenues for the world's largest social network are on track to hit $4.27 billion this year, up from $2 billion last year...”(Locke). So Facebook has a huge contribution to the economy. Without it, people would never hear about job opportunities, or new products, or tell people about great products that they know.

Facebook has drastically shaped the way our culture is today. People are more inclined to sit in front of a computer and look at what other people are doing. It has sort of taken away the need for one on one communication, like going out with friends, talking on the phone or being with the family. There is too much interest in another person's personal life; what they did today, what they are going to do tomorrow, what they bought at what store for how much, who they are friends with, etc. These are just some of the drawbacks or negative impacts of Facebook. Although the last one could be viewed as a good change. It would imply that people are more connected, they are able to know way more people than they would without Facebook. It also provides relief to the changing culture, according to this article, “'These days I think more and more people want to use services from companies that believe in something beyond simply maximizing profits”(Eckstein). People in every level in the economy use it, from CEOs to unemployed citizens. People in every corner of the world use it. So it has really changed peoples' views on relationships and has in a way forced them to conform. It has gotten to the point that to be “connected” is to have a Facebook and to have a billion friends. Research shows that, “Time spent of Facebook had increased 566 percent in a year [2008], to 20.5 billion minutes”(Kirkpatrick). Kirkpatrick's book also talks about the rise in user time in other countries in the world. The whole world is moving forward on a highly technologically oriented path where being virtually connected to the economy and to people is enough.

Facebook has made a great impact on the social expectations, economy, and cultural path of this world. It has tied the economy and social networking together and has had positive and negative affects on both. People are getting more connected, while at the same time losing the personal connection. People learn more about the world around them by sitting in front of a computer looking at information put there by other people. It has made making friends personal and distant at the same time. Mark Zuckerberg's ideas have put the world on a path towards highly technical society with economical and cultural advantages.

Works Cited

Eckstein, David. "Facebook IPO: Mark Zuckerberg Says Site 'will Help Transform Society'" Web log post. Zap2it. N.p., 1 Feb. 2012. Web. 14 Dec. 2012.

Kirkpatrick, David. "The Facebook Effect: The Inside Story of the Company That Is Connecting the ... - David Kirkpatrick - Google Books." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2012. <http://books.google.com/books?id=RRUkLhyGZVgC&pg=PA20#v=onepage&

Locke, Laura. "Can the Facebook Economy Help Americans Find Jobs?" CNET News. CBS Interactive, 20 Oct. 2011. Web. 19 Dec. 2012.

Vara, Vauhini (November 28, 2007). "Too Much Information?". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 26, 2010.