Facebook

Hodgkinson’s thesis: Facebook is sly function of corporations which exploits pre-existing friendships for capitalist gain and should be boycotted.

Agree: Facebook certainly plays into each individuals tendency towards vanity and need to feel important. Many perceive social competition as an important aspect of their lives and Facebook caters to these populations by providing the perfect resource. While users are distracted by news feeds, comments, messages, new photos and wall posts they are being snagged on a subconscious level. The information provided by each individual and created through cyber interaction is collected so custom advertisements can be displayed; surely, this greatly increases the probability for excess consumption. I feel that Hodgkinson depicts this relationship well and treats it with the severity it deserves.

Disagree: Hodgkinson’s highly opinionated piece assumes that any connection between online social networking and capitalist inner workings is a negative thing. However, as citizens of a capitalist country and citizens of the online world, we must shy away from negative responses and channel our disapproval toward positive change. Capitalism is highly dependent on the desires and demands of the consumers so why not use the current system to instigate some fundamental changes? I don’t think complete rejection is the answer. We should first explore and consider how we can use Facebook to our advantage and demand that it evolve to promote a more desirable capitalist society. Of course, this is an extremely vague and idealistic approach. Grassroots organization and widespread, critical conversations must take place to determine what future is both desirable and realistic.