Classroom Publication

Issue date: 11/23/09 Section: Social Media

Media Credit: Norman Graham Ashley Walker, senior at University at Albany, multitasks between her social media Web sites, Facebook and Twitter. She utilizes both Web sites several times a day via computer and mobile phone. [Click to enlarge]

Created on Feb. 4, 2004, Facebook has experienced many changes. Starting off as “Facemash,” Matt Zuckerberg, created the social media Web site when he decided to blog about a college breakup he faced. As he received more resources to advance the Web site, the name changed to The Facebook, where only students from Harvard University and the Boston area had access to it. With help from roommates Eduardo Saverin, Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes, Zuckerberg was not only able to promote the Web site, but also to advance the tools it offered, change the name to “Facebook” and upgrade the look. Five years later, in 2009, Facebook is a million-dollar franchise with more than 300 million active users, with 70% of whom live outside the United States.

Ashley Walker, a senior at the University at Albany majoring in sociology, will be graduating in December 2009 with her bachelor’s degree. Walker, a user of Facebook, looks at people’s profiles, stays in touch with friends and family members and chats with people.

“Facebook lets me know when there are events. If I am in the area or interested, I will go,” Walker said. Facebook allows Walker to play games such as Sorority Life and Ballies, which are free of charge. Due to the upgrade of Facebook's content, Walker can send mass wall messages, which is more efficient than sending the same message numerous times. “Facebook also takes time out of my hands when I’m not busy. Before we had the option of doing limited profile, Facebook affected me badly because any content that I put up, people would have something to say about it,” Walker said. Limited profile is an option that allows Walker and other users to control how much or how little other users can see on their Facebook pages.

Walker said she’s always on Facebook, where she wastes a good amount of time. Facebook, which was originally created for college students, is now used by people of different ages, whether they attended a place of higher institution or not. Walker said this is a disadvantage.

Members of her family are starting to join. “It’s good because I can see photos of them and see how and what they are doing with their lives,” Walker said.

It affects friends around her because certain people get upset when they get on Walker’s limited profile. “If they can’t see my profile, they are more prone to talk to me face to face,” Walker said. When asked why she puts people on her limited profile, Walker said there are people who say may not trust, people can’t handle the statuses she posts on her page and people who haven’t been in contact with her for years, so she will hide her content.

Walker also uses Twitter, another type of social media, just as popular as Facebook, which Walker said she uses more than Facebook. “Twitter is becoming more fun because you can control how many people I have connected to me as opposed to Facebook,” Walker said. Overall, Walker likes Twitter because there is a trending topic where people can come together to discuss the topic at hand, but with Facebook you have groups, but she feels the members don’t come together to discuss because they are too many people.

Walker, who started using Facebook her senior year of high school, said that Facebook has progressed from when she originally started using it. According to Walker, the networking of college students connecting has diminished due to more than just college students joining. If the goal of the social media Web site, Facebook remained the same, Walker said it wouldn’t have to compete with Twitter anymore because it will surpass Twitter’s popularity.

 

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