Nathan Jurey
Cultural Anthropology
September 19, 2008

Facebook is fast becoming a global phenomenon. In 2004, Mark Zuckerberg, a Harvard University graduate, started Facebook during his sophomore year in college. He opened the website first only to Harvard students, then to Ivy League colleges, then to all college students, and finally to all high school students in 2005. In less than two years, Facebook went from a small website to an internationally recognized symbol of our culture.

When an object is such a large part of a culture’s people, it will inevitably have an effect on the culture and its people. Facebook has changed how people interact. In the past, friend and acquaintance had two different meanings; but now on Facebook, friend means the same thing as acquaintance. However, in real life those two words still have different definitions – which brings up the two worlds that Facebook has created. The real world is a physical, interactive world that people engage each other in physically and mentally. Humans need this physical and mental interaction. The other world, the digital world, only has communicative interaction. Despite the lack of other types of interactions, websites like Facebook have still grown exponentially because of the ease of access to the digital world and the laziness of America. These two worlds have caused a world of two identities. In the real world, a person must face and be scrutinized for every decision he or she makes. You cannot run and hide from your problems in the real world; they will follow you wherever you go. In the digital world, a person can hide who they are or choose who they portray themselves to be.
Being able to show one’s best side lets some people use Facebook to escape the scrutinizing world. People who use Facebook as an escape are usually depressed or homesick. But at the same time, Facebook produces a great way to meet people or keep in touch with friends who they would not normally call. One can also see what others have been doing recently, which cuts back even further on our lack of real world communication. Instead of hearing details in the real world about who did what or who broke up with who, we can now find out who someone is before we even talk to them.

Each individual’s page has so much information about that person. People pour their life and soul into Facebook. Normally, people would not do this, but on Facebook it’s okay, because people feel safe – they think no one is going to hurt them. People have been denied jobs and parties have been busted because of information on Facebook. However, people still want to show their individuality. Technology, especially Facebook, has allowed the explosion of individuality and the diversity of ideas and opinions. This has disrupted the homogeneity of America. Before, people who were different were labeled as crazy, rebel, or weird. Now on Facebook, there are groups that glorify individuality and people’s differences. Facebook has not only changed the superstructure, the values and ideas of a society, but also the social structure by making us a more individualistic society. We want to stand out, but we don’t want to be the only one on the island. Facebook can give a person those social connections, even if he or she is the only one of that group in their area. The Facebook marketplace has also affected the infrastructure of America. There are companies that have used Facebook to expand and advertise. It also makes finding people who want to sell and buy a specific item easier.

In conclusion, Facebook has changed the way people act, how people interact, and who people are. These three things are three prominent factors in what shapes a culture. Thus, Facebook has changed society in so many ways; many of which are unknown and latent effects. But the final question, is Facebook actually good for society, can only be answered with time.