The Social Network
October 10th, 2010
Linked below is the trailer for “The Social Network”, which has hit the top of the box office. It outlines the creation of Facebook by Mark Zuckerburg, a then Harvard sophomore, and the amazing instant success of the site. I just watched this movie a couple hours ago and instantly thought about linking it to class 8 when we learned about social media and it’s growing profitability for companies.
Growing up in the twentyfirst century, social media has become a huge part of our lives. Almost everyone I know has a facebook page. The movie aims to show how a simple idea, which led to the creation of facebook, is powerful, and although the protagonist didn’t have a strategy going in to make money, the site is now worth an estimated 25 billion dollars. There is a lot of money to be made through social media, and this is why companies are now shifting to match the needs of online communities.
But of course with the internet comes risks. Mark Zuckerburg was fined millions of dollars for “stealing” the original idea of facebook. The industry is deceiving, and intensely competitive. However, the companies who can successfully promote and connect with consumers through social media find themselves profitable because in today’s age, opportunities lie within the online community, and the connections to the people are in the hands of social media.
