These articles highlighted what many Facebook users often forget:
Facebook is not all about us. Contrary to the illusion that Facebook’s
offerings – such as the opportunity to connect with old friends, the throwback
photo reminders, and even suggesting “people we may know”– are in our best
interest, at the end of the day, Facebook is a business that aims to make
money. The article emphasizes four primary factors to consider in running a
business: value creation, target market, sources of competencies, and revenue. Facebook
certainly gets creative in executing these factors by monitoring our google
searches and statuses with a watchful eye, picking up on the subtleties in our
language and luring us with advertisements that pique our interests. Reading
this article made me aware of Facebook’s underlying intentions as a business.
With modern technology, it is easy to get distracted by the excitement of
digital gratification to the point that we forego our privacy. By keeping in
mind that Facebook is a business and does not necessarily value our best
interest over theirs, we can consciously protect our privacy.
These articles also
highlight Facebook as a viable branding tool for businesses. However, in
thinking about how young adults use Facebook in today’s age, I realized that
branding is not limited to businesses as individuals use it as a self-branding tool. Facebook provides
people with the opportunity to portray the person they want others to see, and
market themselves shamelessly and with careful intent. This article, along with this one and this one all aim to help individuals up their self-branding game,
and in the process, raises some serious questions about identity and ego. Is
self-branding a good thing? Is it necessary? Do people who market themselves on
social media hold an advantage over others? Questions like these are prevalent
in our society and hold meaningful implications related to self-esteem, social
status, vocational endeavors, and personal happiness.
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