This blog is for students enrolled in CA317 Mass Media and Society at Cardinal Stritch University, Milwaukee, WI.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Questioning the Media#3
Briefly discuss what you liked/didn't like about the movie, "Social Network".
Specifically, what were some of the social and cultural implications of the movie? Has your opinion about social media changed?
I felt that the movie did a decent job of giving a non biased representation of the current world of social networking. I also felt that it highlighted many of the pros and cons of Facebook and how it is used. It was good to be reminded of how it all got started and what its original goals were. It was also good to be reminded that it was created by somebody my age. In regards to the social and cultural implications that the movie had on our society. I felt there was one common theme. It showed that our society today needs to constantly be connected and ironically that nobody likes to be alone for extended periods of time. It also shows that today's society is highly accepting, if not drawn to, what is viewed in many ways as low culture. In regards to my opinion about social media, not much has changed as a result of watching this movie. I still feel that social media can be used and abused depending on who is accessing it. The use of social media needs to be monitored and used responsibly by its users. I personally have my own morals and ethics and they effect how I use Facebook. For example I do not post hurtful statements about people even though I could. All in all I feel that the use of social media is exciting and helpful but also needs to be viewed critically by its users.
I really liked the movie a lot. I thought that it did an excellent job (maybe not an accurate one) of explaining how it all happened. For example how the "relationship status" tab came about because his friend wanted to know if she was single. I loved how the story kept going from the "interrogation" back to the story of how facebook came to. I thought it was funny (again maybe not accurate) of how Sean Parker KNEW it was going to be a billion dollar venture.
I think an interesting cultural "thing" is that we just went to see a movie about a kid who made a website and got sued. However, it's the most visited website next to Google and is sometimes more used than Google. Also, I thought it was interesting how he used a blog originally to basically post a status. That was what he used to say what he was doing or what he was thinking. In 7 years facebook took over the world and it's all thanks to this kid who, according to the movie, stepped on a lot of toes in order to to do it.
My opinion on social media changed long before I saw this movie. Almost everything i post is about something funny or a less serious status of what I'm doing. I don't let just anyone see my information and I try to be as cordial as possible when I'm on facebook. I know some of my friends will put long statuses on how miserable their life and I just think it's inappropriate.
I love the point that Joe made about needing to be constantly connected. It really rings true. I always have my phone on me which has not only facebook but twitter as well. Also every time I get home from school or work I always go on facebook first and see what's going on with all my friends. I'm "plugged in" as they say in the movie.
I also like how he said what facebook originally was. I can't remember how it used to be but I know there was no Mafia Wars or Family Feud or Farmville. It's changed so much over the past 7 years. I got facebook in 2004 and from what I remember it was writing on a wall, pictures, poke and sending messages. Also, now everyone can have a profile which is dramatically different from when it first came out.
I really liked the Social Network. For a movie that could have been cheesy and cliché I thought they did a great job of making it a movie worth seeing. I thought it was shot really well and the acting was good too. The guy that played Zuckerberg, Jesse Eisenberg, was awesome. I’ve seen him in other movies but I thought his performance in this movie was by far his best. I also thought Justin Timberlake did a good job as Sean Parker. I’ve never really taken Timberlake as a serious actor but after this movie I think he’s definitely a talented actor. The thing I didn’t really like about the movie was the fact that afterwards I didn’t know what real or made up. It was hard to take a step back and realize not everything was fact because the movie made everything so convincing. Some of the social and cultural implications I realized from the movie was that as a society we really do love exclusivity. We’re all still in high school. It never really ends. Who’s who, who’s friends with who, who’s dating who. It all still matters to us and Facebook gives us the opportunity to keep tabs on people because we’re addicted to that type of information. It’s what everyone wants to know and Facebook makes it easy for us to find out. The movie has sort of changed by opinion of social media just seeing how as it was portrayed in the movie that Zuckerberg gave up everything, even his only friend for Facebook. Is Facebook really that important that you give up everything? I just wonder if I was ever in that situation if I could keep my sanity and come out on the other side still intact.
Thought you all might be interested in this. Reporters' Roundtable: The Social Network | Reporters' Roundtable Podcast - CNET Blogs http://www.cnet.com/8301-30976_1-2001911...
First: I was super surprised by Justin Timberlake's acting ability.
Second: What this movie did was cement my thoughts about "social networks". The creator was not only a social outcast in some sense, but he was willing to fix that by helping other people move their social lives onto the computer in the form of "Facebook". Now I don't know how much of the movie was fact and how much was Hollywood, but if someone is willing to trade everything to create his own electronic social club or fraternity, then that person is truly in need of help. I understand what people use Facebook for, but what the movie made obvious is that it wasn't created to be "harmless", it was created as some socialite divider. It wasn't until MONEY was introduced as the focus with the Sean character that everyone was able to join. And with the early scene where he hacked females' computers just to get them rated was another clue at what the creators of Facebook really wanted. It is not about networking, its about people socializing through electronics instead of in person. Think about how many people on a given friendslist that the person themselves actually know or frequently talk to (I am willing to bet not all of them). This movie just made what I already thought more actualized than theoretically .
From reading everyone’s blogs about how our views on social media have changed I feel that I can take away a common thread that we all seem to have; there’s a line that has to be drawn when it comes to social media.
I think we've all seen the extremes of people on social media pages and seen just how far it can be taken. No one wants to be that person or cross that line. We saw it in the movie with Zuckerberg. He became so consumed with the idea of social media that he lost any real connection it seemed he had with his real friends. Over time the online etiquette of how to use social media has been formed and it’s from extremes like Zuckerberg that we're able to form those norms. We can look at cases like his and see his mistakes so we won't make the same ones. We adapt and now I think the generation of today is much more aware of our presence online and how we should use social mediums appropriately.
I felt that the movie did a decent job of giving a non biased representation of the current world of social networking. I also felt that it highlighted many of the pros and cons of Facebook and how it is used. It was good to be reminded of how it all got started and what its original goals were. It was also good to be reminded that it was created by somebody my age. In regards to the social and cultural implications that the movie had on our society. I felt there was one common theme. It showed that our society today needs to constantly be connected and ironically that nobody likes to be alone for extended periods of time. It also shows that today's society is highly accepting, if not drawn to, what is viewed in many ways as low culture. In regards to my opinion about social media, not much has changed as a result of watching this movie. I still feel that social media can be used and abused depending on who is accessing it. The use of social media needs to be monitored and used responsibly by its users. I personally have my own morals and ethics and they effect how I use Facebook. For example I do not post hurtful statements about people even though I could. All in all I feel that the use of social media is exciting and helpful but also needs to be viewed critically by its users.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the movie a lot. I thought that it did an excellent job (maybe not an accurate one) of explaining how it all happened. For example how the "relationship status" tab came about because his friend wanted to know if she was single.
ReplyDeleteI loved how the story kept going from the "interrogation" back to the story of how facebook came to. I thought it was funny (again maybe not accurate) of how Sean Parker KNEW it was going to be a billion dollar venture.
I think an interesting cultural "thing" is that we just went to see a movie about a kid who made a website and got sued. However, it's the most visited website next to Google and is sometimes more used than Google. Also, I thought it was interesting how he used a blog originally to basically post a status. That was what he used to say what he was doing or what he was thinking. In 7 years facebook took over the world and it's all thanks to this kid who, according to the movie, stepped on a lot of toes in order to to do it.
My opinion on social media changed long before I saw this movie. Almost everything i post is about something funny or a less serious status of what I'm doing. I don't let just anyone see my information and I try to be as cordial as possible when I'm on facebook. I know some of my friends will put long statuses on how miserable their life and I just think it's inappropriate.
REFLECTION
ReplyDeleteI love the point that Joe made about needing to be constantly connected. It really rings true. I always have my phone on me which has not only facebook but twitter as well. Also every time I get home from school or work I always go on facebook first and see what's going on with all my friends. I'm "plugged in" as they say in the movie.
I also like how he said what facebook originally was. I can't remember how it used to be but I know there was no Mafia Wars or Family Feud or Farmville. It's changed so much over the past 7 years. I got facebook in 2004 and from what I remember it was writing on a wall, pictures, poke and sending messages. Also, now everyone can have a profile which is dramatically different from when it first came out.
I really liked the Social Network. For a movie that could have been cheesy and cliché I thought they did a great job of making it a movie worth seeing. I thought it was shot really well and the acting was good too. The guy that played Zuckerberg, Jesse Eisenberg, was awesome. I’ve seen him in other movies but I thought his performance in this movie was by far his best. I also thought Justin Timberlake did a good job as Sean Parker. I’ve never really taken Timberlake as a serious actor but after this movie I think he’s definitely a talented actor. The thing I didn’t really like about the movie was the fact that afterwards I didn’t know what real or made up. It was hard to take a step back and realize not everything was fact because the movie made everything so convincing.
ReplyDeleteSome of the social and cultural implications I realized from the movie was that as a society we really do love exclusivity. We’re all still in high school. It never really ends. Who’s who, who’s friends with who, who’s dating who. It all still matters to us and Facebook gives us the opportunity to keep tabs on people because we’re addicted to that type of information. It’s what everyone wants to know and Facebook makes it easy for us to find out.
The movie has sort of changed by opinion of social media just seeing how as it was portrayed in the movie that Zuckerberg gave up everything, even his only friend for Facebook. Is Facebook really that important that you give up everything? I just wonder if I was ever in that situation if I could keep my sanity and come out on the other side still intact.
Thought you all might be interested in this.
ReplyDeleteReporters' Roundtable: The Social Network | Reporters' Roundtable Podcast - CNET Blogs
http://www.cnet.com/8301-30976_1-2001911...
First: I was super surprised by Justin Timberlake's acting ability.
ReplyDeleteSecond: What this movie did was cement my thoughts about "social networks". The creator was not only a social outcast in some sense, but he was willing to fix that by helping other people move their social lives onto the computer in the form of "Facebook". Now I don't know how much of the movie was fact and how much was Hollywood, but if someone is willing to trade everything to create his own electronic social club or fraternity, then that person is truly in need of help. I understand what people use Facebook for, but what the movie made obvious is that it wasn't created to be "harmless", it was created as some socialite divider. It wasn't until MONEY was introduced as the focus with the Sean character that everyone was able to join. And with the early scene where he hacked females' computers just to get them rated was another clue at what the creators of Facebook really wanted. It is not about networking, its about people socializing through electronics instead of in person. Think about how many people on a given friendslist that the person themselves actually know or frequently talk to (I am willing to bet not all of them). This movie just made what I already thought more actualized than theoretically .
Another article about "Social Network"
ReplyDeleteon wired.com
http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/10/why-mark-zuckerberg-should-like-the-social-network/
From reading everyone’s blogs about how our views on social media have changed I feel that I can take away a common thread that we all seem to have; there’s a line that has to be drawn when it comes to social media.
ReplyDeleteI think we've all seen the extremes of people on social media pages and seen just how far it can be taken. No one wants to be that person or cross that line. We saw it in the movie with Zuckerberg. He became so consumed with the idea of social media that he lost any real connection it seemed he had with his real friends. Over time the online etiquette of how to use social media has been formed and it’s from extremes like Zuckerberg that we're able to form those norms. We can look at cases like his and see his mistakes so we won't make the same ones. We adapt and now I think the generation of today is much more aware of our presence online and how we should use social mediums appropriately.