This movie certainly gave me a lot to think about. It was strange to see a movie made, based on the life of a real, still-living person, without that person's consent or input. (In this case, the real person being Facebook creator and CEO Mark Zuckerberg.) In a way, this is what happens when movies are made about historical figures, but those people are already dead and wherever they've ended up I'm guessing their earthly reputation is no longer of any concern. Their living friends and families may have a bone to pick with how their dearly departed was portrayed, but even then this is assuming there are enough of those people around to care. But I was sitting there trying to imagine how it would feel to know there was a movie out there, portraying me as a certain kind of character, and I didn't get to have a say or give my approval. Then again, I've never done anything quite so monumental and so publicly defining as inventing Facebook.
I was really kind of baffled to be reminded that these events took place as Mark and his cohorts were in the same exact life-stage as me. These people are my contemporaries. In 2004, Mark created Facebook while a sophomore at Harvard. In 2004, I was a junior at Belmont. I can remember walking across campus one day and fielding a cell-phone call from my friend Cara who was a student at Mizzou. After chit-chatting for a bit, she asked me, "Does Belmont have Facebook yet?" And after explaining to me what it was (which I was fairly befuddled by), telling me, "You've got to petition your school to get it too!" Which is so weird because it is exactly that social, friend-to-friend-like-wildfire spread which is documented in the film. I was a part of that. It took Belmont a little while to get Facebook and I don't think I joined right away (still not understanding its purpose), but the sentiment remains. The advent of this social media which is now a part of our everyday life was something experienced first-hand by our generation.
Which led me to the following thought. Do you think our generation (without getting too technical, I guess I mean people in their late 20s/early 30s) will be the one which sees the most technological advancement ever, in our lifetimes? I mean, from the span of our births till our deaths, in comparison to the lifespan of our parents, our children, and so on? We are the last generation born before the Internet. Most of our younger siblings can't even say that. When I was born, there weren't cell phones, DVDs, or even CDs, let alone mp3 players. Not only was there not any Internet, but heck, the computer as an item available to purchase and use in one's home was still essentially a novelty. I'm not tech-savvy enough to know what else was and wasn't available at the time, but it seems to me we have come so far just in the 27 years since I was born. I feel like the technology my generation has seen become obsolete (or is seeing become obsolete) is piling up just as quickly. Of course, my parents have seen all the technology I've just described come and go as well, but when I think of where we might be by the time another 60 years rolls around, I wonder if on the whole I'll have seen more change in my overall years than they did in theirs.
This isn't even dipping a toe in the "is all this technological advancement good, or bad, or both" waters. Although I'm inclined to think it is both.
I wasn't kidding when I said this movie gave me a lot to think about! What do you think, fellow members of my generation? Were we born at just the time to be living in an era of technology advancing at never-to-be-rivaled speeds?
6 comments:
Ok, I reached 500+ words, so my comment will now be its own blog post. But my short(er) answer is this: while I agree we have seen a lot of technological innovation in our short lifetimes, especially regarding media devices, I don't think it can compare in immediate or overall impact to the changes that took place right around the turn of the last century. Electric lights in homes (and subsequent use of electricity in general), automobiles, movies and talking movies, airplanes- all of these things hit American citizens within a 30-year period of time. That's not even touching scientific and medical breakthroughs! As far as a lifetime goes, I cannot fathom being born into a candle-lit world with no plumbing (1880s) and dying during the advent of computers (1970s). The idea of that degree of change within a lifetime used to blow my mind as a kid reading the Little House books (though their dates are even earlier), and it still does.
It's an interesting idea. I think we might be limited, though, by our own (non-technologically engineering) minds to imagine the possibilities for technology. That is, to predict that our children won't see the same CRAZY things we've seen happen in our lifetime might be because our minds aren't the ones that are making the stuff. I imagine most of the "inventions" in our lifespan wouldn't have been predicted by you & me if we had been our parents' age, you know?
Also - I remember the first time I was on the internet - like, on "the Web." We were all sitting around the computer in my kitchen & I remember asking my uncle (who's a total tech guru) "are we on the World Wide Web?" HA!
I also remember when my family started to notice webpages listed in the fine print at the bottom of commercials on tv. We actually noticed it and wondered if all companies would some day have a webpage.
Heather, I had definitely confined my thoughts to computerized technology! What you pointed out is so true. Your list led me to another thought... maybe computer-driven technology appears to be moving so quickly because it seems to become obsolete so quickly? A car from 10, 20, even 50 years ago operates much the same as a brand new car, though of course there are new bells and whistles. You can live in a house with 50 year old plumbing and electricity, although it won't be as efficient as in a modern home. But something like a floppy disc, which we all used with gutso just 10 years ago, is now completely useless. A new version of the cell phone/laptop/mp3 player comes out every year. It's basically more efficient to buy a new printer rather than the ink to replace in an old one. Perhaps that is why it seems to be moving quicker, even though in comparison to the magnitude of changes, the era you mentioned definitely stands out.
Jackie, I can remember doing the exact same thing with tv commercials!
Whatever the case, I'm just ready for someone to invent teleporting already. And maybe those flying cars, but only for people who are already awesome drivers. Terrible drivers should still have to use the roads. :)
I agree! I think electronics in general become obsolete very quickly. Like beepers and laser discs! Those definitely were invented and became obsolete within our lifetimes. Or sound-recording devices from records to cassette tapes (and many would argue, CDs), and film for video or photography- all of that has been replaced by digital media. And Jackie makes a good point- I have no idea how that technology will continue to evolve. What will replace digital?
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