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The Rise of Koobecaf
THE RISE OF KOOBECAF
Facebook is doing something great, something powerful, something innovative in our society. It is shaping the way people interact and communicate with each other, as well as changing the way we view ourselves. There is no doubt that facebook has become a common piece of many people’s lives. The doubt lies in the question how did we allow this phenomenon to take place. Why has a mere internet site become so popular in not only the American culture, but that culture which extends as far as technology allows it? Different answers to this question exist within various educational spheres. Some of the most interesting ones come from those who are not merely observers, but participants in this Culture. I am one such member of a congregation that currently numbers close to 40 million in America alone (1). The site was born in February of 2004, and since then has found its way to being ranked fifth in terms of worldwide traffic (2). So what is it that this site does to entrap so many people? The answer to such a question can be broken down via the barrel model customarily imagined by anthropologists. Facebook has a distinctive claim in each of the three structures, though most prominently within the social structure, where communication and all that it entails exists. Facebook delivers this communication in more ways than one paper can outline. It has become an outlet that we as a people have come to love to exert our energies into, sometimes to the point of putting it atop our priorities list ahead of doing Algebra homework or feeding the dogs. We love to post pictures from our latest adventures, videos that show how fun we are, and ‘talk’ to our friends. We even love to tell the world how we are doing by coming up with a truly unique and clever status expressing our individuality. For example, my friend Allison ‘would like whoever stole her Obama sticker to give it back,’ and Becky ‘feels sorry for shallow people.’ The best news of the day is that Brittany is ‘:-D.’ Individuality is also found on each link of someone’s profile, as is proven by Bethany’s Harry Potter Magic Wand application, or Kurtis’ note ‘Insight I found by walking around campus at 4 a.m.’ People love to tell the world who they are, what their interests are, what they’re looking for, etc. Sometimes the world has a way of telling the people though. Apparently my roommate has a new girlfriend, which his entire fraternity found out about before him. The girl he took to Pillsbury Crossing this evening changed her status to ‘in a relationship’ as of an hour ago, which must mean that Kyle did a better job of winning her over than he thought he did. And by the way, Kyle met this girl through Facebook’s Kansas State network. Then there is my buddy Clinton, who got kicked off his high school golf team because he posted a picture of him holding a beer from one who is obviously a younger colleague of his. Unfortunately for Clinton, word of his picture spread, and his scholarship to a Division-I school was something that the university’s Coach decided to hold from him. Such examples prove that Facebook is not merely one of many applications within our lives. Instead, it in many ways IS our life. It definitely was towards Kyle, who found the girl of his dreams, as it was towards Clinton, who was separated from his dreams. Regardless of the severity these risks present, people are no longer deterred. Instead, all of the possibilities that are found in this new and modernized way of communicating with our world serve to encourage people to come and be a part of it before they are left behind. A new social structure has been established as to the way that we all live our lives. This new structure is something that can bring ;-D or ;-{ to us with every new wall post, picture comment, or status change. The world is moving at an ever-increasing clip, and American Culture has found that the easiest way to keep up is to create, connect, and express ourselves. There is only one thing that has the ability to make such a great undertaking happen, and its name is Facebook.
REFERENCES
1. "Related info for: facebook.com/". Alexa Internet. Retrieved on 2008-03-08.
2. Stelter, Brian (2008-06-16). "MySpace getting a facelift in effort to turn popularity into wealth". I nternational Herald Tribune. Retrieved on 2008-06-16.
Facebook is doing something great, something powerful, something innovative in our society. It is shaping the way people interact and communicate with each other, as well as changing the way we view ourselves. There is no doubt that facebook has become a common piece of many people’s lives. The doubt lies in the question how did we allow this phenomenon to take place. Why has a mere internet site become so popular in not only the American culture, but that culture which extends as far as technology allows it? Different answers to this question exist within various educational spheres. Some of the most interesting ones come from those who are not merely observers, but participants in this Culture. I am one such member of a congregation that currently numbers close to 40 million in America alone (1). The site was born in February of 2004, and since then has found its way to being ranked fifth in terms of worldwide traffic (2). So what is it that this site does to entrap so many people? The answer to such a question can be broken down via the barrel model customarily imagined by anthropologists. Facebook has a distinctive claim in each of the three structures, though most prominently within the social structure, where communication and all that it entails exists. Facebook delivers this communication in more ways than one paper can outline. It has become an outlet that we as a people have come to love to exert our energies into, sometimes to the point of putting it atop our priorities list ahead of doing Algebra homework or feeding the dogs. We love to post pictures from our latest adventures, videos that show how fun we are, and ‘talk’ to our friends. We even love to tell the world how we are doing by coming up with a truly unique and clever status expressing our individuality. For example, my friend Allison ‘would like whoever stole her Obama sticker to give it back,’ and Becky ‘feels sorry for shallow people.’ The best news of the day is that Brittany is ‘:-D.’ Individuality is also found on each link of someone’s profile, as is proven by Bethany’s Harry Potter Magic Wand application, or Kurtis’ note ‘Insight I found by walking around campus at 4 a.m.’ People love to tell the world who they are, what their interests are, what they’re looking for, etc. Sometimes the world has a way of telling the people though. Apparently my roommate has a new girlfriend, which his entire fraternity found out about before him. The girl he took to Pillsbury Crossing this evening changed her status to ‘in a relationship’ as of an hour ago, which must mean that Kyle did a better job of winning her over than he thought he did. And by the way, Kyle met this girl through Facebook’s Kansas State network. Then there is my buddy Clinton, who got kicked off his high school golf team because he posted a picture of him holding a beer from one who is obviously a younger colleague of his. Unfortunately for Clinton, word of his picture spread, and his scholarship to a Division-I school was something that the university’s Coach decided to hold from him. Such examples prove that Facebook is not merely one of many applications within our lives. Instead, it in many ways IS our life. It definitely was towards Kyle, who found the girl of his dreams, as it was towards Clinton, who was separated from his dreams. Regardless of the severity these risks present, people are no longer deterred. Instead, all of the possibilities that are found in this new and modernized way of communicating with our world serve to encourage people to come and be a part of it before they are left behind. A new social structure has been established as to the way that we all live our lives. This new structure is something that can bring ;-D or ;-{ to us with every new wall post, picture comment, or status change. The world is moving at an ever-increasing clip, and American Culture has found that the easiest way to keep up is to create, connect, and express ourselves. There is only one thing that has the ability to make such a great undertaking happen, and its name is Facebook.
REFERENCES
1. "Related info for: facebook.com/". Alexa Internet. Retrieved on 2008-03-08.
2. Stelter, Brian (2008-06-16). "MySpace getting a facelift in effort to turn popularity into wealth". I nternational Herald Tribune. Retrieved on 2008-06-16.
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