Koobecaf
By: Brian Derry
The innovative and rapidly growing nation of “Koobecaf” is in many ways unlike any we have seen or studied before. Marked by its youthful population, most Koobecafers being between the ages of sixteen to twenty four, the nation has had profound effects on our American culture. Even though the nation was founded just over four years ago, its population has already sky rocketed into the millions. The Koobecaf nation was founded as a means of connection and communication between college students as they moved their separate ways. It has since then spread among youth as a tool replacing the outdated face to face communication. Some argue that Koobecaf has the opposite effect that so many are attracted to it for; arguing that people can have better communication and more meaningful connectivity through face-to-face interactions.
The barrel model of culture includes infrastructure, social structure and superstructure. Superstructure includes the values, beliefs and ideas within the culture. The nation of Koobecaf allows each member to create their own space to express every characteristic of their lifestyle. Through this the Koobecaf culture has aided in the decomposition of many American values that were once held as highly important. For example Koobecafers show little regard to the once valued aspect of privacy through the sharing of photographs and personal information which can be viewed by each of their “friends.” Perhaps it is a way to advertise their popularity among the community as it is well know among Koobecafers that as the amount of pictures and “friends” increase, so does your popularity. The act of stalking which has been highly frowned upon in the past seems now to be encouraged within this community. Members are expected to spend hours viewing other people’s photographs and writing comments on their walls. The social structure includes family, social and political organizations. Koobecaf is changing social organizations by excluding Americans who choose not to be a part of the Koobecaf nation. These Americans may be left out of some groups that before Koobecaf they may have been able to be a part of. Through the Koobecaf medium people can form specific groups for whatever they desire. This has changed the way many politicians have chosen to get their information out. Through the formation of political groups within the Koobecaf, they have been able to get information out in a more effective manor to the younger generation of Koobecafers. The infrastructure includes economic systems, and technology. Technology is the key component of Koobecaf, if there were no computers on which to run Koobecaf, the culture itself would disappear completely. The marketplace is a perfect example of how Koobecaf is affecting the American infrastructure. Through the marketplace members and companies can put items up for sale for all to see. Ad-space has also become available through Koobecaf, driving many companies to advertise their products on this medium. I feel that only time will tell what effects Koobecaf will have on Americans on the long term scale.