Great ridicule and great admiration go hand in hand with great accomplishments.  It would be silly to suggest that Mark Zuckerberg has not accomplished something great.  Regardless of the steps taken to create Facebook, Zuckerberg’s social network has directed and influenced the lives of more people in more ways then he could ever have anticipated.  In light of this, it seems too provincial to judge him based on the intentions and actions he exercised on those near him (though their lives are no more or less important than anyone else’s).  

So, how do you feel about Facebook, Dan?  I (and I think a lot of people may agree with me) feel that “fb” is something of a double edged sword in the cultural landscape of the internet.  It facilitates an unprecedented volume of communication, the benefits of which are obvious from both personal and socio-economic standpoints.  However, this communication causes an unprecedented invasion of privacy.  Employer’s and colleges having direct access to people personal lives, for example.  Furthermore, this sometimes occurs regardless of the consent of the individual in question, as friends and relatives may post information regarding that person without thought to the consequences al la Michael Phelps.  Also, the arguably unethical practice of data mining also facilitated by Zuckerberg’s creation is a further invasion of privacy, perhaps a greater invasion at that.

But I cannot deny that I am more connected to the comings and goings of the people around my, and with greater ease, then I had previously thought possible.  I  attend events, meet new people, and subsequently accomplish things that would not have been possible for me otherwise.  I keep in touch with friends I would never have seen again.  

I also see a lot of things I don’t want to, but they’ve got a fix for that.  The newly implemented filter and grouping systems also allow me to control whose business I stick my ruddy little nose into, and whose inconsequential bullshit I would rather do without.  While preferences of curiosity certainly don’t justify my nosiness, they do make it easier to think on the morality of my actions less.  Knowing everyone’s business is becoming a function of modern internet society instead of a shameful endeavor reserved for bored members of the PTA.

It was once considered a sacrifice of privacy to have a telephone installed in one’s home.  The world is changing.  The question is, is it going where we want it to, or are we simply indulging a hedonistic need to pry into people’s personal business that may eventually result in some sort of secret-less society?  Is that something we want?

What do you think?

Time will tell what effect Facebook will have on our world.  Mark Zuckerberg’s legacy remains for the finishing.  I couldn’t say how I feel about it yet (and to be honest I haven’t seen the movie).  I hope it take a turn for the benefit of internet-land.  Who knows, really?