The Social Network

All I can say is WOW...As if I wasn't incredibly amazed with the very idea of facebook, seeing the creation of a world wide phenomenon was epic. Upon entering the theatre I already had my own perception of what the movie would be like. Some incredibly smart young man coming up with a genius idea that swept the nation over night. Okay okay, actually that was exactly what it was but the insight I got from seeing the depiction of  him going through the motions was just so much more than that. Im definately a stickler for any documentaries or biographies that are true to life. As a young girl I don't know why I had such a fascination with flims like Selena, or What's Love Got to Do With It  (Tina Turner) or even idiotic films like W...an ode to our former president George W. Bush. Gotta love him... I guess it's because after you see it you feel just  little closer to the indiviual you hear about that you wana tell others his story like you heard it first hand. We as Americans are funny, the ultimate gossip colony. But back to The Social Network, upon watching the movie I was incredibly impressed with a few things. For one, the whit and sarcasism of the main character, he was a RIOT! I felt like I was the only person in the theatre literally cracking up. The very idea that students put a entreprenuer plan into motion was beyond me. Also I was amused with at the way they knew what schools exactly to launch it at next so that it would become a hit which touches on the power of marketing in the world today. This reminded me of some of the things that were discussed in the books like Made to Break, when  I thought of the way the site directly catered to their audience. Although by creating thing inventors cater, thinking of just the social need of an individual Mark was able to create. Also the fact of the matter is, even today there are still being creations made on facebook to make it better and more entertaining so that can easily be compared to physical inventions that become obsolete when renewal takes place. Mark Zuckerberg and his friend Eduardo knew exactly what was important to their generation as far as the social scene even thought they were seen as "geeks". I particularly liked when he got the idea to put relationship status on the profile because it showed that his mind was not just thinking to answer his friends question but always thinking with a goal in mind that could produce revenue. Although the idea was built upon a small inkling of an idea from the Winklevoss brothers and even FACESMASH...I think without his creative mind of development, they would have never got it up and running. I was able to see not only the good parts of success but also the downside of it as well with the lawsuits, loss of friendships and sometimes even loss of character. I was very impressed with this film not only because of the actors depiction of the characters but the ideas that were able to create such a remarkable "social network". I left the theatre all wound up, thinking of ways to create something since Im older than him I felt like I was behind haha but after all my brainstorming, I went to bed. Respect, drive and motivation were established and that's the impact I believe the movie had on all it's viewers. I enjoyed it

Made to Break Pt. 3

Giles Slade not only engages every time period of readers by creating a timeline through the history of technology, but he also creates a storybehind each period. As the economy began to pick up again after the depression that is, the idea of mass production enter the world. People needed alot of what ever they wanted which was another example of "planned obsolescence" and wouldn't stop until they had the newest thing out. Brook Stevens a charter member of the Society for Industrial Designers stated, " Our whole economy is based on planned obsolesence and everybody who can read without moving their lips should know it by now. We make good products, we induce people into buying them, and then next year we deliberately introduce something that will make those products old fashioned , out of date, obsolete"( 153). Stevens goes on saying that the only reason why this has become the culture of the industry is to keep on making money. This idea reigns true in our world today because I see examples of it daily. Starting with cell phone companies, sometimes I wonder why they intentionally put something out when there are already previews or ideas to create to a better device that would have all the amenities the other is lacking yet they still make sells. I don't know how many times, I've walked in a store and said "Man if i would have waited 1 more month for my upgrade!", only not realizing if I did there would be something else I wouldf have wanted. It's all a trick making a technological hazard for the future. I particularly thought it was interesting the way sometimes actual waste occurs during the planning of obsolescence because at time it becomes hard to even determine the plans of the people. At times there is no market for the invention although there were great plans during creation. The fact of the matter is back then and even today, americans have the choice to either waste money or save it, and we all know EVERYONE'S problem. In most cases we have everything we need to successfully feel like a productive citizen in society and we possess perfectly good items to where they don't need to be replaced immediately. Although, becasue of the culture created the inventions aren't built to last. Alot of the times you have to think about the competition between companies that are imposed on us, but the key is, we feed into it by thinking we need the unnecessary. Aside from minimal planning, even in matters of war there is this mindset where science and technology is the basis of production. It stops and makes you think that even in political battles and wars of hatred, underneath it all there is a competition in technology and we seen this in the case of Soviets and Japan. We were not just trying to beat them physically but mentality by creating weapons that said we we're better- technical competition that would produce physical results. There are hidden persuaders in the world today and although many people are not aware of them, they do exist. We are the consumers and that in itself is not a mystery but the reasons we continue to waste then claim going green is beyond me. We continue to look past our need and substitute them for wants, we may need to make a change in the industry but we don't stop wanting the new over the durable.

Made to Break Pt 2

In the second part of the book, Giles Slade paid attention to showing the readers the testimony of leaders of some leading technology corporations beginning with David Sarnoff who was the head of RCA. The power of his invention made it that music and broadcast radio could become even clearer and greater improvements technically. I found his testimonial particularly interesting because although the readers were able to see the positive attributes of this hard working career yet at the same time they discussed his tendencies to even be seen as a womanizer. This reminded me of The social network because with fame and fortune although it makes provisions for you socially sometimes it can change one's character. The people who he had developed relationships with  like his wife Marion also began to leave and he felt incredibly alone until he finally committed suicide.  The technical era changed even the more because WWII was the first eletronic war because of the FM radio that was used their were many inventions that made significant progress yet Sarnoff's strides in development were the most significant. I was also able to see the different ways product development changes in order to tend to their audience. I found it interesting that even when things were being created, they saw the market for teenagers and they positioned the product to adhere to their desires. When I think about it more however, once you see the needs of the buyers and people who are potentially interested, thats when you are able to create what is necessary. This idea reigned supreme also with the discussion of automobiles and how the concumers basically decided the movement from foreign cars to tailfins to beetles. Americans continue to make the decisions in the technology industry yet whats remarkable is we have all the opinions yet there are very few people who can put these ideas into practice by solidly constructing an relevant invention. I liked that Giles Slade was able to discuss how there is evidence of the use of technology in ways ordinary people don't think of. He discussed fashion even and the small influences of corporations and individuals that made the eras what they were. The very fact that history and American culture has a time line of progression amazes me because although evolution is inevitable, the abiltiy to manufacture and put ideas into action shows the power that stems from advertising, business, art, and media which all has to do with technology.