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Koobecaf by Libby Coulter
The strange phenomenon that once took the Nacirema college students by storm is now clenching a larger demographic: the World. Students who go abroad now join the networks of the foreign cities they stayed in and connect with their new overseas friends. How can Nacirema students stay so well connected with friends divided by oceans? Koobecaf. Koobecaf plugs over 100 million people into an alter-universe, where they can be whoever they like. Koobecaf allows users to create a profile of them; however, there are no restrictions on who joins. A med student at KU has even created Jessi Banks, a fictional person who she uses to check out the other ladies who write on her boyfriend’s wall. Koobecaf allows people to do crazy things. Koobecaf has made stalking legal… or at least easier. There is the option to report frauds such as this, however, the termination of their virtual life lies in the hands on the Koobecaf King: Mark Zuckerberg. If he is too busy to assist in such menial tasks, his cronies do it for him. They are also responsible for keeping Koobecaf clean. They eliminate all offensive content and report inappropriate users. Koobecaf is a society that has values and morals, however, it appears the greatly value censorship. From the comfort of their homes, Koobecafians can “poke” someone miles away. Naciremas are so used to this technology infused culture that they do not find this to be strange at all. They think that such instant voiceless communication is the norm. It is free and convenient. It seems Naciremas would have it no other way. This feature in the Koobecaf world is something that says, “Hey, just reminding you that I am here!” This shows how Koobecafians desire to be noticed, even if it is for something as menial as a virtual poke.
The social structure is very important with Koobecaf. Its importance is, perhaps, the backbone of the Web site. Members can message each other, write notes on each other’s main Koobecaf page and see lists of upcoming parties. The strangest of these communications is the “poke.” Koobecaf users can click a button and “poke” another Koobecaf user. There is nothing that comes out of these actions other than a small note on the page of the “poked” alerting them of the action. When Koobecafian is logged on to their virtual world, to further determine one Koobecafian from another, ‘network groups’ classify each member of this society into groups of similar interests and experiences. This desire to belong to a group of others goes so far that some Koobecafians belong to networks that they had barely visited as well as the networks they were born into or studied in for months at a time. Some of them belong to as many as seven networks! The superstructure of Koobecaf includes all the emotions, values and beliefs of Koobecaf. The most central of these is that Naciremas and Koobecaf users all feel the same desire for contact with those of their kind. Relationships are valued beyond material goods for these people. Koobecaf helps link users who might have lost a connection with someone otherwise. The beliefs in the power of connections is what drives Koobecaf users to add new friends, send messages and even “poke” other users. Koobecaf has radically changed the validity of relationships and even the standards of many of its users. Knowing someone is not completely finalized until someone makes the choice to friend the other. “I don’t even know that girl… We’re not even Koobecaf friends!” is a common phrase when describing a random encounter. On the other hand, many Koobecaf users friend people the have never met people they friend. They click “add friend” or “accept” in a relentless effort to gain virtual popularity. Without Koobecaf, could you imagine a complete stranger saying they know you and you just going along with it? That was socially unacceptable… until Koobecaf. Even relationships between significant others is not finalized until it is broadcast across Koobecaf. Their relationships are invalid without Koobecaf confirmation, face-to-face conversations are considered faux-pas and it is just crazy to think about socializing with anyone if the Koobecaf has changed drastically in the four years it has been in use and will continue to change and grow with its users. Even when its users grumble and gripe about new formats and applications, Koobecaf still manages to keep them hooked. Koobecaf has staying power rooted deeply in the users needs to feel connected and heard.
The social structure is very important with Koobecaf. Its importance is, perhaps, the backbone of the Web site. Members can message each other, write notes on each other’s main Koobecaf page and see lists of upcoming parties. The strangest of these communications is the “poke.” Koobecaf users can click a button and “poke” another Koobecaf user. There is nothing that comes out of these actions other than a small note on the page of the “poked” alerting them of the action. When Koobecafian is logged on to their virtual world, to further determine one Koobecafian from another, ‘network groups’ classify each member of this society into groups of similar interests and experiences. This desire to belong to a group of others goes so far that some Koobecafians belong to networks that they had barely visited as well as the networks they were born into or studied in for months at a time. Some of them belong to as many as seven networks! The superstructure of Koobecaf includes all the emotions, values and beliefs of Koobecaf. The most central of these is that Naciremas and Koobecaf users all feel the same desire for contact with those of their kind. Relationships are valued beyond material goods for these people. Koobecaf helps link users who might have lost a connection with someone otherwise. The beliefs in the power of connections is what drives Koobecaf users to add new friends, send messages and even “poke” other users. Koobecaf has radically changed the validity of relationships and even the standards of many of its users. Knowing someone is not completely finalized until someone makes the choice to friend the other. “I don’t even know that girl… We’re not even Koobecaf friends!” is a common phrase when describing a random encounter. On the other hand, many Koobecaf users friend people the have never met people they friend. They click “add friend” or “accept” in a relentless effort to gain virtual popularity. Without Koobecaf, could you imagine a complete stranger saying they know you and you just going along with it? That was socially unacceptable… until Koobecaf. Even relationships between significant others is not finalized until it is broadcast across Koobecaf. Their relationships are invalid without Koobecaf confirmation, face-to-face conversations are considered faux-pas and it is just crazy to think about socializing with anyone if the Koobecaf has changed drastically in the four years it has been in use and will continue to change and grow with its users. Even when its users grumble and gripe about new formats and applications, Koobecaf still manages to keep them hooked. Koobecaf has staying power rooted deeply in the users needs to feel connected and heard.
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, Dec 12 2008, 10:11 AM EST
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