Is Facebook Growing up Too Fast by Brad Stone - Article Example

It is, no doubt, true that Facebook has altered the way people communicate by providing a platform that surpasses the constraints of space and time. The article says “Facebook promises to change how we communicate even more fundamentally, in part by digitally mapping and linking peripatetic people across space and time, allowing them to publicly share myriad and often very personal elements of their lives” and it “reconnects regular folks with old friends and strengthens their bonds with new pals …help rebuild families” (Stone).

This is very much true as the impact Facebook has had on the world internet users. Facebook claims on its website to have “more than 300 million active users” and it says “50% of our active users log on to Facebook in any given day” (Facebook). The extent of its influence is evident in its membership and usage. As the article says, social networking is so powerful that it has been effectively used for activism as well. It is interesting to note that the article does not add any color to the previous idea and the author keeps the voice low and the account brief as seen in the second shortest paragraph.

Secondly, the article says that Facebook has helped users build connections across socio-economic boundaries. To illustrate this, it cites the words of Mr. Zuckerberg who talks about a certain Claus Drachmann, a school teacher, who was successful in inviting Denmark’s Prime Minister for a talk in his school. This was made possible through Facebook, which otherwise would have been a thing impossible. Reflecting on this incident, he says “the story illustrates Facebook's power to cut through arbitrary social barriers” (Stone).

So it claims that the social impact of the technology-enabled by this social networking offered by Facebook has proven to be helpful in building a friendship with anyone anywhere, irrespective of their social status. It should be agreed that the teacher was fortunate to have a prime minister as his friend. But, what if a teacher in a remote land wishes to have a prominent speaker? Technology in its form is not affordable or feasible for still many in the world, where it only serves to increase the digital divide or the gap between the privileged and the underprivileged.

The article quotes the words of Mr. Zuckerberg again on this issue that the membership of "Two hundred million in a world of six billion is tiny," (Stone) and in a way acknowledges the huge number who are still left behind. After highlighting a list of advantages and positive impacts of Facebook, the article showcases the recent issue around privacy and security. It says that “Facebook …is a force that reinvents and tears at such boundaries” (Stone). “The sheer presence of all their friends, family, and colleagues on Facebook creates potent ties between users and the site - ties that are hard to break even when people want to break them” (Facebook).

Yet another concern is about Facebook’s commercial ownership of the content the users have uploaded on their pages. The article is critical about Facebook’s indifference to the opposition from its users. Though it is democratic in one sense, building connections irrespective of boundaries and allowing users to edit, upload or delete content, it is not democratic as it refuses to heed to the voice of its users. It is remarkable again as the article keeps its opinion very short in the shortest paragraph, maybe to make it stand out or to keep it low.

In conclusion, the article subtly juxtaposes the success and challenges related to Facebook and its users, by listing the facts and keeping the opinions low. On one hand, the article makes the reader see the advantages of breaking the constraints of time and space in a globalized world, and on the other hand, it raises the critical ethical and social issues associated with security and privacy in online environments. It leaves the issue open for discussion and no doubt this is a common and widespread concern for all internet users.