Not even 16 year old college kids are able to embrace technology
Best. Class. Discussion. Ever. It was our last “sophomore seminar” class of the semester, and we discussed the definition of modern. And with the definition of modern meant greater access to information via the internet. We’re dependent on the internet and our Facebooks, and if anything happened to take away our individualism, we’d be screwed.
I’d say about half of the class would agree with the following statement:
Facebook and other social utilities create a false sense of community.
Putting that quote in context, my peers are having trouble accepting Facebook, social networks, blogs, and other constructs of the internet. Why? Because there’s apparently the suspicion that all of these communities are created by capitalism. Entrepreneurs who seek wealth from children who have nothing better to do with their lives than click through Facebook profiles and what not. Even though it’s free for the consumer, it doesn’t matter – my peers have a distrust for these internet companies because they have a profit motive behind these “modern” inventions.
So what do these entrepreneurs’ profit motive have to do with anything? I don’t know, maybe my peers are scared for their privacy. Maybe they think that social networks are preventing people from meeting and hanging out in person. Maybe they’re annoyed by the dozens of app requests they get every day.
Bottom line, entrepreneurs and random folk in San Francisco don’t give this stuff as much thought. We embrace and accept web 2.0 for what it is and have no problem with new innovations flooding the market. We encourage open and free access to information, whereas my colleagues in college (all in sophomore seminar) are hesitant about accepting the change in status quo. The only exception was this one girl named Faine, but she’s one of us west coasters 
Just keep these ideas in mind. The way we embrace technology so easily is unique to us. If you’re reading my blog right now, I’ll consider you part of “us.” I helped start a company around building Facebook apps, and it’s somewhat disconcerting to hear that most college kids absolutely despise Facebook apps. But yet again, screw them. There’s still demand and there’s still money out there, no matter what these non-embracing kids say.
Jessica Mah is a 17 year old entrepreneur, blogger, and sophomore in college. She’s currently the founder of a startup, managing editor at Startupism.com, and Jessicamah.com. In her free time, she enjoys the prospect of being an underage angel investor.
December 11th, 2007 at 2:52 pm
Although what you guys discussed at the seminar is true, it’s nothing new. In a capitalist society, when you are a consumer, you are there to pay — and *maybe* enjoy. So, if social networks like Facebook make you tick, you wind up paying for it. And sometimes you pay with ‘green’, but more often than not (when it comes to Internet tech) you pay with your time — which, of course, eventually equals ‘green’. Think about it… every page view shows you an ad — you may spend 10 seconds on the page or 10 minutes. This ad equals a number — your very intention to view this page is a number — a number which eventually translates to what revenue you as the user generates for this company. The more *time* you spend, the more money you generate for the company.
My main point, however, is that *anything* you do *anywhere*, eventually has a price. The intentions of the company providing or facilitating the activity are always going to be monetary — in the end that’s all it comes down to. I don’t care if it’s a mom-and-pop on the corner selling gum, candy, and cigarettes, or Google — at the end they are all there to make money. So yea, just like these companies, Facebook, MySpace, and the rest of Internet tech companies are ultimately there to make money. And that ladies and gents is the obvious bottom line =)
December 12th, 2007 at 12:31 am
lol! you’d like to think you’re a west coaster!
not everyone wants to live digitally, or over the internet, with all these social networking sites. if I have to hear about facebook anymore, I’ll scream!
We talked about technology also today in seminar and Kafka. Bernie made a great point, read a sontag quote which lead to the point that much like Dante and Shakespeare were the authors of their time, Kafka is ours.
Imagine being born when there were only dirt roads, no cars, no computers, no internet. that was only a few years ago in the history of human kind! I cannot help but sometimes feel surrounded and yet isolated from other people.
I don’t think I would ever feel comfotable working for a tech company. it’s kind of futile. There’s the connection side: do I really talk to anyone who I don’t see every day (except family and the select few)? No. Do I care about making money (except living, travel and educational expenses)? No. Does internet really benefit the future of mankind? No. It’s a bandaid on a much bigger wound. Web 2.0 reflects the main flaw in our world: the need to feel connected to something higher, holier, better. More More More. Which leads into a marx tangent I wont go into.
I’d much rather have real working relationships with people face to face, but that’s the kind of person I am!
And no I don’t call chatting over the internet or the phone a real working relationship. But that kind of fractured half relationship is neccessary for the world we live in, to make money and feed ourselves.
and then there are of course privacy concerns. any information you put out there could potentially be stolen by corportations and their disgruntled employees. My medical records were burnt about ten years ago by a crazy nurse at children’s hospital, and now because I had to have my shots all done twice, I have a ridiculous fear of needles and I feel like a girly girl every time I talk to andrea. so yeah it’s a legitimate concern.
These social networking websites allow us to feel super connected with other human beings and hyper concious about our own social constructs. Why do we need to feel this way? I think it’s pretty much on the same level as the catholic church in the middle ages: to lead the weary masses through the dark, mysterious, treacherous cavern of technology and to make off like bandits at the same time.
So when it comes to “technology” yeah, I understand where those lowly kids in sophomore seminar are coming from. I’m one of them.
and I’m a hypocrite for reading this and having an email account and owning this beautiful computer and a car. sue me.
okay okay, done. whew. at least now I have a starting point for my essay. woo!
December 12th, 2007 at 8:35 pm
Hey! Cute site!! I was referred by Phillip (http://www.fadetoplay.com/) and he said we might hit it off to become friends! lol Just thought I would say hello! Feel free to comment me back on my blog if you want to talk!!
Hope to hear from you soon! If you have Twitter, add me! [ilindsay]
December 17th, 2007 at 9:07 pm
Hey…just poking around and found your blog.
I agree with you on how unnerving that discussion was. I thought most kids my age were really comfortable with the internet and all that comes with it – why the distrust of technology? It astonishes me how people don’t appreciate how much good that the internet and social networking in general have brought into modern lives. People can connect with one another who would never have had the slightest chance of finding one another before. And as I said in class…what the heck is wrong with making money off a real need? The world is changing, all right, but I think the changes are good…and I think it’s going to be a real shock to a lot of those kids when they enter the modern working world with that kind of suspicious attitude. But hey, I am just a west coaster…