Social Networking:The Impact and Those Behind It

Today I'd like to write a piece that is more opinion-based than previous articles that I have written. I will address an observation that I've made concerning social networking, and more specifically the people behind these enterprises. It takes a very unique individual to bring a concept, like Facebook, to fruition. One comprised of blind ambition, stubborn determination, and an unwillingness to compromise in pursuit of the goal. Mark Zuckerburg is a prime example of this kind of individual. His youth gives him a perspective of the world that is almost ignorant of those factors that would inhibit his parents' generations acceptance or interest. Meaning, his parents may have seen less value in social networking, had they heard of the concept, at its inception. The young people brought these social networking trends, such as Facebook and Twitter, into pop culture and into your daily routine. Not to say that the older generations don't "comprehend" this idea, or lack the foresight to predict the "next big thing"; but rather that a younger individual was subjected to very different activities, stimulations, and attention obligations in their upbringing which altered how their brain developed. There are plenty of older individuals who will profit well from these enterprise's (such as investors), but we're talking about who conceived the idea and acted accordingly. In this article, we will be discussing what comprises the individuals behind the social networking "phenomena" and how they differ from their elders. But first, lets look at some examples of how their creations have effected society in the modern age.

Having the ability to connect both directly and in real-time on this social networking platform is taken for granted in the "Land of the Free". But in more restrictive countries, such as Egypt, this pervasive concept is relatively new. When their youth get access to this kind of technology, things begin to change. Suddenly, bureaucratic censorship and communication restraints can't contain the message at large, and 15,000 people can all agree to congregate somewhere and riot in real time. What an incredible milestone to witness being achieved. This societal alteration, as it becomes more prevalent in the global fabric of an ever-more connected world, is quite possibly the largest impact that social networking will make. Sure, the return on investment is good for the American/world economy, and new markets have been created to make advertising more effective, where jobs are thus, created, and Mark Zuckerburg grows his net worth into the billions by the time he's thirty; But the everlasting change that will be chiseled on the wall of time is much greater. The ability to furnish the masses with open communication allows the masses to share ideas and information, which expands their presence in society and loosens the immediate grip of power.

History is filled with prime examples of people, in times of physical and intellectual growth, who utilize their enhanced perspective to create something monumental in history. Take Nicola Tesla, for example. As he formulated an innovative way to harness the power of energy in a useful manor, the world was about to change in a very major way. And for an interesting parallel, Tesla sought a world where all power would be locally generated (Wardenclyffe Tower) on a globally interconnected network. And without global connectivity (the Internet, in this case), the tech-boom could not have occurred, nor would there have been a reason for this occurrence. But Zuckerburg was raised in the 80s and 90s, in the height of technological innovation. The innovation especially occurred within the field of information systems, and that was the world, as he understood it. The concept of global connectivity via local interaction was not so far out. Where many parents dismiss Facebook, Twitter, and the like, their children only know a world where this activity is the norm (and often 5-10 times a day). Zuckerburg saw value in trusted access to so much willingly-disclosed personal information, and this good foresight has snowballed into one of the world's largest companies. What a phenomena, right? Perhaps to the masses; but in Zuckerburg's mind, I'm sure this prophecy fulfilled itself just as he intended.

Old heads describe the "me" generation as one that desires immediate contentment and lacks self-discipline. This is certainly true, though only to an extent. In 1993, had I wanted to find a particular clip from a movie, I would put the VHS in my VCR and rewind/fast-forward to my desired point. Then came DVD, where i could skip chapter by chapter, making the process faster and more organized. Then came YouTube, where I could get on my computer and hope my desired scene had been uploaded by one of the hundreds of millions of site contributors. Now I have the YouTube app on my iPhone and I access it immediately, 3 times a day. We constantly strive to simplify our lives and streamline the chaos of information that is coming into our heads. And though there is nothing wrong with checking Twitter 8 times a day, this action must be compensated by a clear understanding of priorities and the ability to free yourself of the distraction, should that balance fall out of harmony. Perhaps, the one upside to the "instant gratification mentality" is that our ideas are shared more freely. This causes factions to unite and change can be accomplished. In the tech acceleration of the 1980s-2000s, the youth is growing up in a totally different world and this shapes the way their mind functions, for better or for worse. But it takes these kinds of individuals to innovate, in both business and society, and change our lives as a result.