The Social Network

(Source: wikimedia)

Here’s my 2nd entry for NCT blog post. It’s about the movie, The Social Network.

It was a little boring for some parts but it was actually quite interesting to know about the history of Facebook.

For your information, it was named TheFacebook initially. All the ups and downs of Mark Zuckerberg’s life. That was how he became the youngest billionaire in the world, along with 500 million friends. He did have some enemies along the way but I guess that’s the price one has to pay. Before I share with you my thoughts and feelings about Facebook and Social Networks in general, I shall tell you the summary of the movie, with a little help from Wikipedia.

Fall 2003. After his girlfriend, Erica Albright broke off with him, Mark Zuckerberg decides to create a website to rate the attractiveness of female Harvard undergraduates. Mark hacks into the databases of various residence halls, downloads pictures and names of female students. With the help of his best friend, Eduardo Saverin,  Mark creates a website called “FaceMash”, where male students can iteratively choose which of two girls presented at a time is more attractive.

This resulted in part of Harvard’s network being brought down and also, Mark being punished with six months of academic probation. However, the popularity of “FaceMash” and the fact that he created it in one night, while drunk, brings him to the attention of Cameron Winklevoss and Tyler Winklevoss, and their business partner Divya Narendra. As a result, he gains a job working for the Winklevoss twins as the programmer of their website,Harvard Connection.

Mark then approached Eduardo with the idea of TheFacebook. It was initially meant as a website exclusive to Harvard University students till Mark met Erica, who says she doesn’t know of TheFacebook because she’s not a Harvard University student. Mark then decides to expand TheFacebook to more schools.

Shan’t spoil the fun of the movie. What follows next will be Mark facing lawsuits by both Eduardo and the Twins + Narendra, how Mark loses his only friend, how TheFacebook became Facebook etc.

Just, go watch it. I only managed to fully understand the movie after catching it the second time.

Now for my thoughts and feelings about Facebook and Social Networks.

I still find it interesting why someone would want to set up networking sites.

When Facebook was first introduced to me, I signed up for an account and then thought, ‘What’s the difference between this and Friendster?’ Friendster was real popular back then. Well, the thing is, exclusivity. If you can make yours stand out, then you control the market.

When Mark Zuckerberg broke off with Erica Albright, he blogged about her. It was damaging to a girl’s reputation but that was also the start of Facebook.

“The Internet’s not written in pencil. It is written in ink.”

That’s something which all of us have to admit to. You might have written something online in a fit of anger because you just needed to find a platform to vent it out. You and I have all done it before. Well, most of us don’t think of the consequences before we click on the button which reads “Publish”.

Sadly to say, even if one removes it, it has been read. It’s just like you carved words on wood and then try to un-carve it. Not possible. It’s just like you can’t say you were not at a place when you just were. Those who saw you, saw you. They cannot say they didn’t see you.

Hate to do so but I’ve to admit, I’ve done that before.

Also, one has to be very careful on what gets posted online. Sure enough, we have the freedom of speech in Singapore but still, laws are laws. Better be sure your posting won’t get you into trouble. Perhaps, for safety sake, just don’t post!

Some would say with Social Networks, we are getting more and more dislocated with our friends and family. It’s like, wherever you go, you see people using their phones to be on Facebook, Twitter etc. Where’s the face to face communication? Is talking online really much easier? To some, it might be easier to communicate via a platform rather than face to face. I’m one of those but still, I find face to face very important because that’s where you can tell if the person is lying or not.

Nonetheless, I have to admit Social Networks also have their plus side. With Facebook, I’ve managed to find classmates from both my primary and secondary school. Also, my teachers!

A way to keep occasional contact with people? I would say yes and no. Let’s say there’s this person whom you have not met for a few years and if you suddenly ask the person out, wouldn’t it be weird? Hence, some might try talking online through platforms such as MSN, emails or Facebook.

Social Networks are also good ways to keep each other updated! With Facebook, one can upload photos and tag friends! Friends can comment and like the photo or what not. It just connects you with the whole world! Just anywhere, as long as there is internet connection! YouTube? Sharing videos with the rest of the world is just as easy as ABC.

If you’re far overseas, the traditional method would be writing letters to your family and friends. However, with the internet and social networks, isn’t it easier with one click? Skype, MSN and Facebook!

Hence, in conclusion, I would say, Social Networks is a plus in our lives.

Just make sure that even with it around, face to face communication is just as important. Just sitting behind the screen and typing is not good enough. One needs to see the facial expressions and such. Some just want the other person to be present physically, not just a virtual figure.

Another point would be yes, be safe. Don’t ever get yourself into trouble just because of one sentence which you wrote online. You might think ‘That’s not a big deal.’ However, to the affected person, it is something great and offensive (probably). So think carefully. If you were the person, how would you feel if you came across that comment?

My personal tip is, if you really need to rant out, just do it the old school way. Write in your journal. Just make sure you don’t publicise it. Keep it safe, alright?

Though technology is useful to one, it can also cause great damage if it’s not used appropriately.

Minority Report

Minority Report is a film based on the short story “The Minority Report”. Set primarily in Northern Virginia and Washington D.C. in the year 2054, where a department named “Precrime” is set up. Precrime, as the name suggests, apprehends criminals based on 3 “precogs” who are able to see the future murder.

As science and technology continues evolving, it will not come to me as a surprise if we really have such a department in our local police force.

We used to think mobile phones were impossible.
We used to think humans couldn’t fly, not literally though. We need the help of aeroplanes.
Who would have even thought whatever I have typed here could be viewed by someone in Africa?

The boon of precogs?
The police can prevent crimes from taking places, as long as they get the location and time correct.

The bane?
First question, won’t the police force be cutting down on manpower? The potential criminal has been made known by the precogs. All the police need to do is to arrive on time and catch the potential criminal.
Second question, how can we be certain that the information will be right?
No one can be 100% certain that the precogs will not disseminate the wrong information. As the Murphy law says, “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.”
Lastly, the precogs can only forsee murder cases and not suicides.

Let’s just say if this communication technology were to really come true, it will save lots of lives.
With terrorism on the rise, will it be able to forsee terrorism? If it can, it will be a great aid to Internal Security.

I would feel Minority Report portrays more of a utopian future. It aims to create an ideal society – 0 murder.
Why not a dystopian future?
True that it might seem as a totalitarian form of government but in the end, isn’t it still aiming for 0 murder?

In conclusion, I would say I am not up for such a technology. We can never create an ideal society.

What if the scenes in the movie happens in real life?
Example: John Anderton (cast Tom Cruise) was forseen by the precogs trying to kill Leo Crow (cast Mike Binder) but Anderton didn’t know who Crow was! Anderton was set up! In the end, Crow forced himself on Anderton’s gun and makes him pull the trigger.

When Lamar Burgess (cast Max von Sydow) killed Danny Witwer (cast Colin Farrell), why didn’t the precogs predict it? Yes, Agatha was gone but the Twins, Arthur and Dashiell were still there.

Hence, anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
The Twins cannot work that well without Agatha around.
Even if the murder was a set up, the precogs cannot tell it.
So, which is better – having a good technology or a technology that works well?

I personally prefer the latter.