With the release of the new movie “The Social Network,” viewers got a glimpse of how the well-known website came to be and the kind of culture that defines our generation.
In today’s society, spending time on social networking websites has become a way of life. People spend countless hours blogging, chatting or just exploring websites on a daily basis.
The most visited social networking sites are Myspace, Facebook and Twitter. Myspace, launched in August 2003, now has over 66 million members. Facebook, launched in February 2004, now has over 500 million users. Twitter, launched in July 2006, now has over 190 million users.
Facebook has many uses, including social networking and games. Joan Schuman, adjunct faculty member and public relations agent, uses Facebook to promote her clients’ products.
“There are ways to increase awareness of organizations and products used to keep customers happy by creating dialogues, and catch any problems while they are still small,” said Schuman.
However, there is a downside to Facebook. According to an article on NYTimes.com, Facebook users collectively spend 10 million minutes everyday on Facebook.
Likewise, Facebook can also be used as a tool of procrastination.
“I use Facebook a billion times a day. It is addicting and distracting,” said Allison Dorian, second-year public relations major.
With “The Social Network,” Facebook is currently gaining a lot of press. “The Social Network,” gives audiences the image of Facebook from its launch through the first year of the website. The movie ranked number one, until last week, since it opened on Oct. 1, and has already grossed $62.4 million in box office sales.
The movie sheds a new light on Facebook, revealing the dark history of how Facebook came to be. It shows the trials and tribulations of how the website of 500 million friends was built on broken friendships.
Many people do not know who is behind the multi-billion dollar website.
“It was interesting seeing Mark Zuckerberg as the man behind Facebook,” said Dorian.
The movie also gives viewers a sense of what it really took to make Facebook run.
“I never really thought of the business side of it and how many people it takes to run the site,” said Danielle Huslinger, second-year early childhood education major.
The movie also revealed just how much a site as frequently used as Facebook is worth.
“I went on it and kept thinking this little site is worth $25 billion? It’s nuts,” said Huslinger.
With its release, the movie has raised a lot of controversy. According to ABC News, the movie was based on the book “Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook: A Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayal” by Ben Mezrich. Like the book, the movie has been questioned on whether it is fact or fiction.
Heather Watts, a second-year early childhood education major, also saw the movie recently.
“I never realized how controversial it was to make Facebook. I guess I never realized that the website is a business and that it takes work and a lot of people to run it,” said Watts.