The Social Network: A Toast To My Undergrad Years
The Social Network, based on the true story of Mark Zuckerberg’s creation of Facebook, recently won four Golden Globes. The movie highlights Zuckerberg’s successes and troubles associated with the creation and phenomenon of Facebook. Zuckerberg can serve as an inspiration for college students everywhere. He’s a student with awkward social skills who just got dumped by his girlfriend. A simply idea for a website turned him into the youngest billionaire in history. Like every good story, Zuckerberg’s success comes with a price. He was plagued by legal and personal issues as a result of Facebook.
As I watched the movie, I realized Facebook played a large role in my own undergraduate career. The Social Network escorted me to a time circa 2004 when I was a sophomore in college. I was sent the link to join the site by a high school friend. Since I didn’t attend an Ivy League university or a college in the Massachusetts area, I was not one of the pioneering members of the site. However, I joined early enough to remember it being called “The Facebook”. I joined when a college email address was required to gain access.
My main interest in the site was an opportunity for personal networking. Facebook allowed me to find guys I met at parties, classmates who attended lectures on mornings when I was too “sick” to leave my dorm, and high school friends attending different universities. Yet in a larger sense, Facebook became a huge spider web for me. A university with a 10,000+ students suddenly seemed much smaller. It was easy to make connections between people. I was able to find fellow education majors and I had a sense of being more than just a number on campus.
Facebook also provided ample opportunities for drama. There was (and still is) the dilemma of whether or not to accept a friend request of someone you don’t consider a friend. Thanks to Facebook it also became harder than ever to fly under the radar. Someone somewhere somehow always knows just a little too much and spreads word to the wrong people. Perhaps my motivation would have increased if I hadn’t had Facebook as a distraction each time I sat at my computer to write a paper. Facebook became a virtual playground in my college career. Could I have lived without Facebook? Sure. But looking at pictures, checking status updates, finding new friends, reconnecting with old ones, and watching the drama unfold as my friends list expanded; Facebook certainly enhanced my college career.
Today, social media have come along way. From practically non-existent platform to the most used digital space across the globe, it is no doubt that social media are considered game changers. You can also get cheap and Instant Instagram views at Buzzvoice. Certainly, it is expected to develop and grow even further in the future.