Facebook

Definition

Facebook is a popular social media platform that allows users to create personal profiles, connect with friends and family, share content, and engage in online interactions. It has become a dominant force in the digital landscape, shaping the way people communicate, share information, and consume media.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Facebook was founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and a group of Harvard University students.
2. The platform has over 2.9 billion monthly active users, making it the largest social media network in the world.
3. Facebook's algorithms and data-driven features have been criticized for their potential to amplify the spread of misinformation and polarize users.
4. The platform has faced numerous privacy and data-related controversies, including the Cambridge Analytica scandal, which highlighted concerns about the misuse of user data.
5. Facebook has expanded beyond its core social networking features, acquiring platforms like Instagram and WhatsApp, and diversifying into areas like virtual reality and e-commerce.

Review Questions

• Explain how Facebook's features and functionalities align with the symbolic interactionist perspective on media and technology.
  • The symbolic interactionist perspective emphasizes how individuals use and interpret media and technology to construct meaning and engage in social interactions. Facebook's features, such as profile creation, status updates, and sharing of content, allow users to present and negotiate their social identities, establish and maintain relationships, and participate in symbolic exchanges with others. The platform facilitates the construction of shared meanings and the ongoing negotiation of social norms within its virtual communities, aligning with the symbolic interactionist view of media and technology as tools for social interaction and meaning-making.
• Analyze how Facebook's data collection and algorithmic curation of content relate to the critical theory perspective on media and technology.
  • The critical theory perspective on media and technology suggests that these tools can be used to exert power and control over individuals and society. Facebook's extensive data collection practices and the use of algorithms to curate and prioritize content for users have been criticized for their potential to manipulate user behavior, reinforce existing power structures, and perpetuate social inequalities. The platform's ability to gather and leverage user data to target advertising and influence decision-making has raised concerns about the commodification of personal information and the exploitation of users for commercial and political interests, aligning with the critical theory's emphasis on the need to critically examine the social, economic, and political implications of media and technology.
• Evaluate how Facebook's role in shaping social interactions and information flows relates to the functionalist perspective on media and technology.
  • The functionalist perspective views media and technology as serving essential functions within society, such as facilitating communication, information sharing, and the maintenance of social order. Facebook, as a dominant social media platform, has become a central hub for social interactions, information dissemination, and the formation of online communities. While the platform has been praised for its ability to connect people and enable the exchange of ideas, it has also been criticized for its potential to disrupt traditional social structures, influence public discourse, and contribute to the spread of misinformation. From a functionalist perspective, the evaluation of Facebook's role would consider the extent to which it fulfills or disrupts the essential functions of media and technology within society, and how its impact can be understood in terms of its contribution to social stability, integration, and the collective well-being of users.

Related terms

Social Media: Online platforms that enable users to create and share content, as well as interact with others in virtual communities.

Online Networking: The practice of using digital tools and platforms to build and maintain personal and professional connections.

User-Generated Content: Content that is created and published by users of a platform, rather than by the platform itself or professional content creators.