The Expansion of Facebook - Essay Example

Client’s 25 November Something which began in a Harvard dorm has become a behemoth now, Facebook will very soon have as many as 1billion active users and this is no ordinary achievement, this is certainly something extraordinary. The company has expanded in the recent past and it was recently listed on the Nasdaq although it did not live up to its hype. Facebook has raised billions of dollars through the IPO floated on the Nasdaq. Facebook is a social networking website which enables people to find their near and dear ones; it is also a good platform to make new friends. Several recent developments have taken place; Facebook has taken over a picture sharing company to make pictures that are displayed by Facebook users better and more impressive. It has been a profitable deal for both parties and it is surely going to make Facebook even better. Facebook is both a boon and a bane, a boon for people who use it wisely and a bane for people who are ignorant. There are several people who disclose too much on their profile and they also leave their profile open to see which means anyone can see their activity, their status and their personal information. “This has proved fatal in some cases, recently a woman in Australia went on a date with a friend who she had met on Facebook and she was found murdered, there are numerous such cases.” (Facebook Friend Murders Australian Woman) There are positives too, every coin is two sided and so is this one. Facebook pages have helped generate revenue for charity and this has helped several underprivileged children, this is a really good thing and more such initiatives must be taken to ensure parity in our society. Facebook can also cause a lot of unrest, the recent unrest in the Middle East is a classic example, it also started because of a Facebook page which was later removed because of political pressure. The unrest in the middle-east was the result of a Facebook page for which Mark Zuckerberg was sued. The Facebook page was also removed but much damage has been done and it was already too late. Everything is two sided, Facebook is no different. It has its pros as well as its cons. This proposal will comprehensively present how Facebook is negatively impacting the Saudi society. “Facebook is taking over the world, and that’s no exaggeration. Everyone from eager-to-fit-in tweens to educated business people to intrigued grandparents has joined the phenomenon, and unsurprisingly many teenagers have also caught Facebook fever.” (Facebook Addiction) The people in Saudi Arabia are very hard-working but they have been distracted by Facebook, their valuable time is being squandered browsing through Facebook. This is hampering their growth and this is also hampering the overall growth of the country. The younger generation is completely hooked on to Facebook and they use slang language which is again bad for them. Using slang language is affecting their language skills and making them incompetent. Facebook has had its share of problems; thieves use Facebook to know when certain people are going on vacation so that they can rob their house. Credit card numbers have been stolen using Facebook; a woman in Australia was murdered when she went and met her friend who she had met through Facebook. All these instances show that people in Saudi Arabia are losing their privacy and are openly flirting with danger. “Facebook and its co-founder Mark Zuckerberg are being sued for more than $1billion over a page that was on the social networking site that called for violence against Jews.” (Facebook Sued) This is just one of many evidences which clearly show that this social networking website can cause religious havoc and this is why the people in Saudi Arabia should never get carried away with what they see on this website. It has already caused political havoc in the middle-east which has led to several economical problems; it has also led to vandalism. The same may happen all over again and it is high time to stop this from happening. Saudi Arabia is a very conservative country; the majority of people residing in the country are Muslims. Islam is openly discussed on the website and people with very little or absolutely no knowledge about Islam have been spreading propaganda which could again lead to damage beyond repair. Facebook is also considered a rich source of news by the Saudi people who use it on a daily basis, there is a possibility that other people may try and spread false news which may impact the nation. Facebook is an excellent platform for communication but it is only for wise people who know what to show and what to hide. Showing personal information to strangers can hurt in more ways than one. Recently it was also reported that thieves have been benefitting through Facebook profiles, people post information on their travel and it gives the thieves ample opportunities to plan well ahead and execute a robbery, several such instances have come to light in the recent past. It is suicidal to disclose personal information to strangers; they can use it in more ways than one. It was also recently reported that a pornographic website has started morphing pictures of girls on Facebook by stealing their pictures from their profile, this can only happen when the profile is set to public viewing and this can be disastrous. Facebook has enabled several old friends to get in touch once again and this is really good, this way there is nothing that can supersede Facebook, it has facilitated communication and it has provided an excellent platform to people to make new friends but times have changed and we have to be very careful these days, it is almost impossible to read the intentions of a person and there are many people out there with cruel intentions. To conclude it is very fair to say that Facebook addiction is nothing but a waste of time, money and effort. It is high time to spread this message and to ensure that the productive time of people does not get wasted on Facebook. Works Cited Facebook Addiction. Facebook Addiction Disorder. n.p., Web. 25 November. 2012. Facebook Sued. Daily Mail. n.p., Web. 25 November. 2012. Facebook Friend Murders Australian Woman. Risks of Facebook. n.p., Web. 25 November. 2012.< http://www.siasat.com/english/news/facebook-friend-murders-australian-woman> Read More