Reports, this week, show that Facebook has reached
its goal of attaining one billion, participating users. This is quite surprising to many, as it took McDonald's 40 years to attract one billion customers. Considering Facebook was
created only seven years ago, and it doubled its amount of users in the past two
years alone, this proves that social media is taking over. However, Facebook does not make its revenue
from its customers, but from the advertisements shown on the website that may
appeal to the user based on data they have entered on their profile, people
they have befriended, and by things they “like.” The company is under intense pressure today
to make more money off them, more quickly.
How
does the involvement of one billion people interacting over a social network affect
the way the world is communicating? Instead
of writing letters, making phone calls, or, god forbid, people talk face to face,
you can just write on a friend’s wall.
These days, there is no reason to go to the store to pick up a birthday
card, when Facebook reminds you whose birthday it is and persuades you to send
them your birthday wishes. I wonder, if
in the future, people will actually ever be in the same vicinity together? Or if we will all be connected electronically? Only time will tell. However, the effects of the sudden popularity
of social networking could lead to destruction of our human nature. As humans, we feel the need to be embraced in
hug rather than shown that we have five new notifications.
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