The Powerful World of Facebook

Image 1: Facebook features (Alba, 2016)

“Space and place are familiar words denoting common experiences” (Tuan,1977). These two words may be perceived to be the same, however, have dissimilar meanings. Space is a new frontier which can also be exciting, but also frightening and is full of opportunities (Kuttainen, 2016). Place is more secure than space, and is more centred around one’s relationships whereas space is freedom (Tuan, 1977).

I am a member of many social networks including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. The chosen social network (virtual) that I will analyse is Facebook. Facebook is a worldwide social network application used by billions of people. It is a combination of written posts and images that individuals can express by posting to their friends, or the public. Users of this application are able to create a profile which obtains all of their posts on a timeline. Although Facebook is an online space, it is also a public space as general account information can be viewed by any operator. (Kuttainen, 2016).

Facebook can be some sort disempowering at first, with all the ‘big names’ in the world receiving the greatest likes and comments on their page. After being a regular user for over five years, a greater sense of power can be felt in this public space. This gives users a sense of empowerment. Facebook is arguably the biggest and most well-known social networking site in the world. Davey Alba claims in his article in ‘Wired magazine’ that Facebook is taking over the role of mobile phones, with new additions to the software which allows you to call other users. This creates a new sense of space in the world of Facebook, as well as providing the user with additional power. Users will develop more and more empowerment towards the application, and experience place by using the several functions spoken about above (Tuan, 1977).

 References

Alba, D. (2016). Wired. Retrieved from http://www.wired.com/2016/08/facebook-isnt-just-good-mobile-mobile-works-now/

Alba, D. (2016). Facebook features [Image]. Retrieved from http://www.wired.com/2016/08/facebook-isnt-just-good-mobile-mobile-works-now/ 

  

Kuttainen, V. (2016). BA1002: Our space: Networks, narratives and the making of place, lecture 3: Space and identity. [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from https://learnjcu.jcu.edu.au 

Tuan, Y. (1977). Space and place: The perspective of experience. London: Arnold.