In the article entitled “Do Artifacts Have Politics,” Langdon Winner defines the social determination of technology as “what matters is not technology itself, but the social or economic system in which it is embedded.” I think this is a great definition and it applies directly to the success of Facebook as well as my search for graduate schools and future employment.
As we all know, the economy has been terrible for quite a long time and people all around the world have lost their jobs because of it. Struggling families have become the norm, and many people are willing to accept any job offer in order to support themselves and their families. These difficult social and economical times changed the landscape of Facebook because it was originally created for college students to keep in contact with old friends, but it quickly became a terrific medium for young professionals looking for jobs. The creators of this social networking site probably never thought Facebook would become such a great networking tool for millions of people around the world looking for jobs, but the social and economic system in which Facebook is embedded allowed Facebook to expand.
As a senior, I am currently in the process of applying to graduate school and leaning toward becoming a high school guidance counselor and basketball coach. As a result, I have been networking with former teachers, counselors, and coaches via email, telephone calls, and surprisingly Facebook. At first, I thought contacting these specific individuals via Facebook would be unprofessional, but the social and economic system we are currently living in makes it acceptable. When Facebook was originally created, no one thought we would use this social networking site to search for jobs, keep in touch with former teachers, or reach out to graduate programs, but the times have changed and new technologies like Facebook have benefitted tremendously.
http://hubpages.com/hub/MySpace-vs-Facebook
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